Michael Rigas

Rigas was born in 1971 or 1972 in Boston, Massachusetts, where he grew up.^[3][4] His parents come from Greece, with his father having immigrated to the U.S. in 1948 from Aigio, while his mother came from Sparta.^[5] He is one of seven children and has a twin sister.^[5] He attended Boston University, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in economics, and Harvard University, where he studied at the Harvard Kennedy School and received a master's degree in public administration.^[6]

Rigas began his career in the private sector, working for Mellon Financial Corporation and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.^[3] He also held a position for the United Asset Management Corporation.^[7]

Rigas was appointed to the General Services Administration (GSA) during the administration of President George W. Bush.^[6] He was an associate administrator for the agency and held the positions of senior advisor and deputy administrator.^[6] During this time, he was part of an effort to improve the level of government contracting to woman- and veteran-owned businesses.^[8]

After his service in the Bush administration, Rigas worked for several Republican organizations.^[9] He was an official for the Massachusetts Republican Party and worked for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.^[8] Following that, he worked for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services as chief of staff.^[8]

In July 2017, Rigas was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).^[10] On March 7, 2018, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the position, with Rigas thus serving under the OPM's director, Jeff Tien Han Pon.^[10][11] On March 18, 2020, Rigas became the acting director of the OPM after the resignation of the then-director, Dale Cabaniss.^[12] In this role, he was head of the agency in charge of managing human resources, talent recruitment, development, and policy for the employees of the federal government.^[7]

Soon after, on March 25, Rigas also became the acting deputy director for management in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).^[13] In July, he added a third role, becoming the acting chief information officer of the United States (CIO) after the resignation of Suzette Kent.^[14] The CIO traditionally reported to the deputy director for management of the OMB, a position that Rigas also held simultaneously.^[14]

After Rigas's tenure with the OPM and OMB, he joined the America First Policy Institute in 2022 as the director of the organization's America First Transition Project.^[6][7] After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, he announced on December 13, 2024, the nomination of Rigas to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.^[3]

Rigas married Laura Keehner, a fellow government official, in 2009.^[20]