House CAO Dan Strodel to Retire
House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Strodel, who has served in his post since July 2010 and guided the chamber through internal financial challenges, is retiring from federal service after 28 years on Capitol Hill.
In a statement shared with CQ Roll Call, Strodel said he “thoroughly enjoyed” his tenure in the House. “It was an honor to serve as the Chief Administrative Officer and am proud of my CAO colleagues for their support and service to the House,” he added.
Strodel was working as a senior adviser to the House Administration Committee when CAO David Beard resigned, amid accusations of financial mismanagement. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tapped Strodel to take over the nonpartisan, non-legislative office that supports members, staff and employees — a workforce of nearly 10,000 people — managing everything from furniture installation in congressional offices to payroll and parking issues.
Speaker John A. Boehner commended Strodel on a long and distinguished career Monday afternoon, as well for his “outstanding leadership during an especially challenging period for the CAO organization.”
“The dedication and innovation of the CAO and his team have helped Members of Congress and their staffs do more with less in recent years while weathering a series of significant cuts to House budgets,” the Ohio Republican said in a statement. “Dan’s retirement will be a real loss for the House, but we are grateful for his many contributions to the institution and wish him all the best in the years ahead.”
Strodel saw the chamber through the sequester and implemented staff reductions to stay within budget constraints. In 2011, he was forced to collapse some functions of the agency and lay off 30 employees, or 5 percent of the support agency’s staff. In March, he announced a round of buyouts.
More recently, Strodel has been spearheading efforts to help House employees navigate changes to their health care benefits under the Affordable Care Act. His position often requires close coordination with House Administration Chairwoman Candice S. Miller, R-Mich., sometimes called the mayor of Capitol Hill.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dan for his outstanding work on behalf of this institution and its nearly ten thousand employees,” Miller said in a statement. “Tapped by both Democratic and Republican Leaders, since 2010, Dan has successfully managed the support services of the House by implementing critical IT modernization projects, improving House operational transparency and restoring the House’s good financial standing.”
“As a former staffer of mine on the Committee on House Administration, Dan Strodel has my appreciation and gratitude for his thirty years of service,” said Rep. Robert A. Brady, D-Pa., currently the ranking member on the committee. “He felt the call to public service from a young age. He came to the House as an intern and rose through the ranks to become one of its Officers. I wish him the best in all of his future endeavors and thank him for his dedication.”
Brady said both sides of the aisle will miss Strodel’s “effectiveness, expertise and leadership.”
Before the House Administration Committee, Strodel worked for the House clerk, both chambers’ sergeants-at-arms and the Capitol Police. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Hobart College, and a law degree from the Catholic University of America. His retirement takes effect later this year, at the conclusion of the first session of the 113th Congress.
Boehner will soon announce a successor, and a House vote to elect his nominee should take place when the second session opens, in early January 2014.