Erica Roach has been quietly named acting CFO. Sarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images
OPM Has Replaced Its Embattled CFO Following Harassment Report
The Defense Department inspector general recently substantiated complaints that the senior executive sexually harassed subordinates and used racial slurs.
The Office of Personnel Management has replaced its chief financial officer, less than a week after a government watchdog concluded that he had used racial slurs, sexually harassed female employees and drank during work hours while employed at the Defense Department.
OPM’s website no longer lists Douglas Glenn as the agency’s CFO. Instead, Erica Roach has been quietly named acting CFO. Prior to this role, she served as deputy CFO and the director of systems planning and development.
The upheaval follows a report issued last week by the Defense Department inspector general which concluded that Glenn, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, frequently made sexually suggestive comments about female employees’ appearances during his tenure at the Pentagon. It also found that during a 2021 all-hands meeting, he suggested that people described in a 2013 speech from President Obama “might not have been racist” for locking their car doors as Obama past their vehicles, and later asked an Asian-American subordinate to described how she felt as an “Asian female in a department that considers China its biggest threat.”
And in the following weeks, Glenn reportedly used the N-word while relaying an anecdote to subordinates.
Glenn denied the allegations that he had commented about female employees’ appearance. Although he acknowledged the incidents at the all-hands meeting and that he had used racial slurs, he contested the idea that employees felt uncomfortable because of those actions.
“Mr. Glenn told us that he watched each subordinate’s reactions as he told the story, and he did not believe anyone was offended,” the inspector general wrote regarding Glenn’s use of racial slurs. “He said that a ‘very productive conversation ensued between us all.’ Mr. Glenn told us that he watched each subordinate’s reactions as he told the story, and he did not believe anyone was offended.”
The inspector general also substantiated two instances in which Glenn had alcoholic beverages during work hours and offered them to subordinates, although Glenn said that once he discovered employees were required to obtain written authorization to bring alcohol to the Pentagon, he ceased the practice.
OPM spokeswoman Erikka Knuti said she cannot comment on personnel issues, but that the agency is committed to fostering a welcoming workplace for all employees.
“OPM is committed to creating a safe and professional workplace for all of our employees,” she said. “We expect those in management positions to uphold those values and to lead with respect.”