Bureau of Land Management Director James Caswell announced today the appointment of two career professionals to key leadership positions in the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters office.

Janine Velasco, currently assistant director for human capital management, will be the new assistant director for business and fiscal resources, and Carole Carter-Pfisterer, currently in the Deputy Assistant Secretary’s Office of Human Capital, Performance and Partnership, will take over as assistant director, human capital management. 

“I am extremely pleased that both of these high-caliber professionals have accepted these crucial positions in our agency," Caswell said.  “Both Janine and Carole bring with them proven management skills and years of experience in Interior’s fiscal, business and human resources arena.” In her new position, Velasco will serve as the BLM’s chief financial officer and will help oversee national policy development related to acquisition, property management, strategic planning and budget, and business practices.  Velasco entered the civil service as a student intern with the Congressional Research Service’s environmental and natural resources division, after which she became a legislative fellow for New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman.  Since then, she has held positions with the Forest Service, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Bureau of Reclamation. Since joining the BLM in 2000, she has held a number of management positions dealing with business, management services, and human resources.  A native of Michigan, Velasco received degrees from Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Carter-Pfisterer will oversee four divisions -- the divisions of human resources and workforce policy, civil rights, safety, and recruitment and talent management, as well as the National Training Center in Phoenix that support the Bureau’s workforce of more than 10,000 full-time employees.   Before joining the Office of the Secretary, Carter-Pfisterer was with the U.S. Geological Survey, where she held several management positions overseeing business, fiscal and budget issues.  Recently, she was detailed to the Department of the Interior’s office of budget, where she served as acting deputy director, and last year, to the BLM’s National Operations Center where she assisted in leading the preparation of detailed transition plans to implement this new Center.   As special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of human capital, performance and partnerships, she is responsible for a wide range of activities including establishing policy and procedures for implementing Department-wide initiatives related to human resources and strategic development of human capital.  Carter-Pfisterer, a native of Pennsylvania, received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from George Mason University.  She has one daughter, Carlye, and lives in Berryville, Va with her husband Joe. 

The BLM manages more land – 258 million surface acres – than any other federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and  productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.