Former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is President Joe Biden’s pick for administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA).
“I’ve spent my career working to improve the delivery of government services to the public,” Carnahan said on social media. “GSA plays a critical role in the government’s ability to effectively deliver services, and I am honored to be nominated by [President Biden] to lead this important agency at this important moment.”
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, who faced Carnahan for his seat in the 2010 general election, said he would support the appointment when it came to the U.S. Senate for approval.
“Robin Carnahan is smart, capable, and understands what they do at GSA,” Blunt said in a statement. “I look forward to supporting her nomination.”
Carnahan, a Democrat, served as Missouri’s secretary of state from 2005 to 2013. While in office, she launched the Missouri Voting Rights Center and an interactive election results website. She co-chaired the bipartisan National Association of Secretaries of State elections committee during the 2008 election.
After her tenure in Missouri’s executive branch, Carnahan founded and operated the State and Local Government Practice at 18F, a technology consultancy within the GSA, from 2016 to 2020. There, she instructed non-technical executives in budgeting, security, and implementing modernization projects. She was recognized as one of the federal government’s “Top Women in Tech” in 2017.
Carnahan is also a member of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) board and is a fellow of Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation.
Carnahan comes from a well-known Missouri family: Her father, Mel, served as governor from 1993 until his death in 2000, and her mother is former U.S. Senator Jean Carnahan. Her brother Russ, a former congressman, recently joined international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner as a senior policy advisor.
Photo from ndi.org
Cameron Gerber studied journalism at Lincoln University. Prior to Lincoln, he earned an associate’s degree from State Fair Community College. Cameron is a native of Eldon, Missouri.
Contact Cameron at cameron@themissouritimes.com.
