Trump names his proposed nominee for OPM director

President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to appoint a new head of the Office of Personnel Management.

On Sunday evening, Trump’s team said in a press email that Scott Kupor, currently managing partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, was the planned candidate to become OPM director in Trump’s second term.

“Scott will deliver much-needed reforms for our federal workers,” Trump said in a statement Sunday.

Prior to his current role at Andreessen Horowitz, Kupor served as chairman of the National Venture Capital Association from 2014 to 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Kupor was also vice president and general manager of the technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP) and held various other executive positions in the private sector. Based on his company bio and LinkedIn profile, he has not worked in the public sector. It is unclear whether he has direct experience leading a human resources organization.

Kupor graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy with honors. He also holds a law degree with honors from Stanford University and is a member of the State Bar of California.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kupor will assume the top political leadership position at OPM. Rob Shriver currently serves as acting director of OPM under the Biden administration. Shriver, previously deputy director of OPM, took over the top leadership role after Kiran Ahuja resigned from the position in April. Ahuja was appointed by Biden and the Senate confirmed her in 2021. She is the longest-serving permanent director OPM has had since 2015.

Just a day after Trump’s announcement, it is unclear what Kupor’s priorities would be in leading OPM. But given Trump’s campaign promise to dismantle what he has called the “deep state” in government, it is likely that Kupor will play a central role in Trump’s plans to revive Schedule F and other key goals to streamline the federal workforce.

Kupor may also take responsibility for a handful of long-standing priorities that have transcended the confines of the presidential administration, such as modernizing pension services and reforming the federal recruiting process.

Kupor would inherit a very different OPM than what existed during Trump’s first term, as the Biden administration increased the agency’s workforce and budget. For 2025, OPM requested $465.8 million from Congress, up from $414 million in 2024 and $385.7 million in 2023. OPM currently employs 3,193 full-time employees and aims to grow its workforce to 3,351 in 2025 let. The agency had 2,680 employees in 2023.

Trump’s plan for a nomination for OPM director is one of more than 110 announcements he has made so far about naming a nominee for his incoming administration. The pace of Trump’s planned election is more than double that of President Joe Biden over the same period. According to the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, the previous three administrations had announced an average of 50 appointments at this point.

“President-elect Trump’s rapid announcements of intended nominations are like an airline pilot taking off quickly by skipping the safety checklist,” Partnership President and CEO Max Stier said in a statement. “FBI background checks and Office of Government Ethics financial conflict of interest reviews are traditionally conducted before announcements, but that is not the process the Trump team has adopted.”

The Senate requires completion of an FBI background check and conflict of interest check before holding a confirmation hearing.

Stier said these controls are “more important now than ever.”

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