Patrick Pizzella

Patrick Pizzella was nominated March 6, 2001, for Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the Department of Labor by President George W. Bush. His nomination was sent to the Senate on April 25, 2001, and he was confirmed on May 9, 2001.

A piece from the June 18, 2001, New Republic "wonders why unions failed to organize against Patrick Pizzella's appointment as an assistant secretary of labor. Now responsible for protecting workers' rights, Pizzella spent four years as a lobbyist on behalf of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, 'a notorious haven for foreign-owned sweatshops'."

"Team Abramoff"
Pizzella was one of at least three people who had worked on Jack Abramoff's team at the Preston Gates and Ellis law firm who "wound up with Bush administration jobs. The second, David Safavian, was "chosen by Bush to oversee federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget." The third is Susan B. Ralston, Abramoff's former assistant and most recently special assistant to White House chief of staff Karl Rove.

"We know about Ralston, we know about Safavian, what is Patrick Pizzella up to?," Laura Rozen asked September 22, 2005.

Profiles
"Pizzella has served in various posts since his arrival in Washington, DC in 1980 including serving as the Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney General Services Administration Transition Team. From January 22, 2001 to March 25, 2001, Pizzella served as the Chief of Staff to the Director at the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. Pizzella was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - a position he held from January 18, 2004 to April 26, 2005.

"From 1996 to 2001, Pizzella was a member of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, L.L.P. policy practice group and served as a Government Affairs Counselor with responsibility for the coordination of the firm's grassroots and coalitions management practice. The cornerstones of the firm's practice in Washington D.C. are legislative policy, Executive branch representation and administrative law.

"Prior to his work at the law firm, Pizzella served for five years at the Federal Housing Finance Board, an independent regulatory agency with responsibility for overseeing the Federal Home Loan Bank system, a Government Sponsored Enterprise. There he was the agency's Chief Administrative Officer, serving as the Director, Office of Administration.

"From 1986 to 1989, Pizzella served at the Department of Education as Administrator for Management Services, and in 1988 was nominated and recess appointed by President Reagan as Deputy Under Secretary for Management. In March 2005 Mr. Pizzella was selected as one of the Top 25 'Doers, Dreamers and Drivers' for 2004 by Government Technology Magazine. In addition, in March 1987 he was selected as one of America's top forty performers under 40 years of age by Management Magazine, a publication of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management.

"Pizzella also served as the Special Assistant to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (1981-1984); the Director of Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs at the U. S. Small Business Administration (1985-1986); as a member of the Office of Personnel Management Senior Executive Service Advisory Committee (1987-1988) and as a member of the President's Council on Management Improvement (1988-1989).

"Pizzella is a native of New Rochelle, New York, and a graduate of Iona Preparatory School. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina."

Source: Pizzell'as Department of Labor Biography.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration cronyism and incompetence
 * Bush administration scandals

Documents

 * Federal Energy Management Program, U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Senior Energy Officials: Patrick Pizzella.

Articles & Commentary

 * Tod Newcombe, "U.S. Department of Labor CIO Patrick Pizzella, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'," GovTech.net, March 4, 2005.
 * Sharon Theimer, "Lobbyist had close contact with Bush team," Associated Press (Boston Globe), May 6, 2005: "two of Abramoff's lobbying colleagues on the Marianas won political appointments to federal agencies." (Pizzella and Safavian)
 * "White House Admits President Met with Abramoff. Bush Should Return Funds to Ensure Unbiased Abramoff Inquiry," BuzzFlash, May 6, 2005.
 * Jonathan D. Salant, "Abramoff Probe May Threaten Leading Republicans as It Expands," Bloomberg News, September 22, 2005.