Speakers

Pam Coleman served as a member of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s cabinet as the Director of the State Personnel Office from Jan. 2019 – Jan 2021. In addition, she also served as the Chair of the NM Statewide Complete Count Commission for the 2020 Census. Pam was a member of the DHS Agency Review Team on the Biden/Harris Transition. She was Special Assistant to President Obama and the first Leadership Development Team Lead in the White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO).  Pam also served as the Energy & Environment Team Lead in PPO, as White House Liaison at the Department of Homeland Security, and as a Director on the Outreach and Recruitment Team within PPO. Pam served in leadership positions for Organizing for America New Mexico for President Obama’s re-election campaign, has been an Executive Coach and management consultant working with leaders and staff at all levels of organizations in the academic, not-for-profit, and private sectors, and vice president of an apple pie company where she helped the founder turn around a company on the verge of bankruptcy, become a nationally-placed brand, and sell to a publicly-held company. Pam started her career as a lawyer in New York City after earning her B.A. at New York University and her J.D. cum laude from New York Law School.

Appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Accounting Policy and Financial Transparency at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in March 2018, Mrs. Edwards Holmes is responsible for promoting the financial integrity and operational efficiency of the U.S. Federal Government through the exploration of emerging technologies and innovation in federal financial management. She currently leads government-wide accounting policy and oversees the production of the Financial Report for the U.S. Government. Mrs. Edwards Holmes also manages government-wide efforts to modernizing more than 40 legacy financial management systems through standardization and automation. Among her many accomplishments, Mrs. Edwards Holmes most notably led the implementation of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act), the first open data law that expanded transparency for more than $4.4 trillion in federal spending annually on the USAspending.gov website. Passionate about transparency and the use of data, Mrs. Edwards Holmes has worked to create Treasury’s Data Lab, a companion site to USAspending.gov, which has a variety of analytical tools that help agencies and the public better use federal spending information.

Prior to joining Treasury, Mrs. Edwards Holmes was the Director of the Government Performance Task Force for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. In the Senate, Mrs. Edwards Holmes advanced the passage of the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 and other legislation to improve the operations, outcomes and efficiency of the Federal Government. Previously, Mrs. Edwards Holmes was the Manager of the Government Performance Project at the Pew Center on the States where she oversaw the development of the 50-state management report. She also created the Pew State Management Lab to advance reforms in state governments across the country and has previously served as the Senior Director of Leadership and Performance at the Council for Excellence in Government.

T +1 703 637 2780
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robert.shea@us.gt.com

As National Managing Principal, Public Policy, Robert Shea serves as Grant Thornton’s primary liaison with members of Congress and other government executives. Robert Shea is also a principal in Grant Thornton Public Sector LLC, where he leads the strategy practice and a number of important strategic planning and performance management engagements. 

Robert has been working to improve government performance for 25 years — including 10 years at Grant Thornton and 15 years in the federal government. Most notably, he served for six years as the associate director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While at OMB, he led an initiative to measure government programs using its Program Assessment Rating Tool. The effort received an Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University. At OMB, he oversaw programs to implement large-scale personnel reform at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security; and he launched a federal government-wide effort to measure and reduce improper payments. Prior to his time at OMB, Shea served as senior management counsel for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and, before that, as the legislative director for Congressman Pete Sessions. In addition, he has served as a professional staff member for the House Committee on Government Reform.

Shea is a leading proponent of evidence-based policymaking: He is a fellow and former chairman of the National Academy of Public Administration and he served on the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. Shea received a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and a law degree from the South Texas College of Law. He has won a range of awards, including twice receiving a Fed100 award. He has also won the Andy Barr award and the Elmer B. Staats Award for Public Accountability.

Professional qualifications and memberships
National Academy of Public Administration, Fellow; Board Member

Presentations and publications

Editor and Contributor, Performance Management and Budgeting: How Governments Can Learn from Experience, M.E. Sharpe, 2008

Contributor, “Performance Budgeting in OECD Countries,” September 2007

Education
JD, South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas
BA, Government, Connecticut College