President Barack Obama nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed Mason alumna Denise Turner Roth as the 39th Administrator of the General Services Administration.
Roth will lead a workforce of 11,500 full-time employees and oversee a $24 billion budget that supports the agency’s Public Buildings Service, Federal Acquisition Service, and technology services programs.
President Obama said, “As Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator, Denise led the General Services Administration to become more efficient, innovative and effective. Denise was a capable leader whose experiences in management will serve our nation well. I thank Denise for agreeing to continue her public service and look forward to working with her in this important position.”
Denise Turner Roth is a Mason Government and Politics graduate. She recently served as the deputy administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration. As deputy administrator, Roth is the organization’s chief operating officer, providing overall management and building on efforts to improve the agency’s performance. She worked to support the agency’s mission of delivering the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people.
Roth came to Mason as a first-generation college student inspired to find a life in public service. “I had a very clear interest in government and politics,” she says, “and among the strongest things about Mason is the number of faculty members actively engaged in both the national discussion around politics as well as policy.”
“So many of the professors I had at Mason were also those commenting on National Public Radio or on the television talk shows. I got to see the historical policy development side at Mason, but I also had professors who were living the practical side,” she says. “It really was beneficial.”
Throughout her 18 years of public service, Roth has held various leadership positions in Washington, D.C. and Greensboro, N.C., with a focus on driving economic and administrative change. Her career in public service began on Capitol Hill in the Office of U.S. Congressman Jim Moran. Later, she served as a special assistant for legislative affairs in the Office of Mayor Anthony Williams, and as the public space manager for the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, where she implemented and oversaw a $36 million revenue stream and managed public space access for major utility and telecommunication companies.
Prior to joining GSA, Roth was the city manager of Greensboro, N.C., where her leadership helped pave the way for several new and creative management changes in the city, including the reorganization of city departments and divisions to promote efficiency and improve service delivery. She also helped establish the district office for North Carolina Congressman Brad Miller, and served as district liaison and the vice president for governmental affairs at the Greensboro Partnership where she successfully advocated for $60 million in state funds to establish the North Carolina A&T State and UNC Greensboro Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering.