A new ethics watchdog for federal employees is on the way. Walter M. Shaub, Jr., was nominated by President Obama on May 24 to serve a five-year term as Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), succeeding Robert I. Cusick, Jr., whose term expired. OGE is an independent agency that aims to prevent conflicts of interest on the part of U.S. government employees, and works to resolve those conflicts if they occur. OGE also participates in developing ethics programs for the government’s anti-corruption foreign policy initiatives. Shaub’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which has yet to schedule a hearing.

Born in 1971 in Virginia, Shaub earned a B.A. in History from James Madison University in 1993 and a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law in 1996. Starting his legal career as a government attorney, Shaub served as a staff attorney at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Baltimore-Washington Regional Counsel’s office from 1997 to 1998, at the Office of General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services from 1998 to 2000, and at the VA’s Central Office from 2000 to 2001. Shaub first worked for OGE from 2001 to 2004, leaving for the private sector to practice at the Washington, DC, law firm of Shaw, Bransford, Veilleux and Roth, where he focused on federal employment law until 2006.

Shaub has served at OGE continuously since 2006, specifically as a supervisory attorney from 2006 to 2008 and as deputy general counsel since 2008. At the same time, Shaub has been the designated chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer for OGE.

Shaub contributed $500 to Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.

 -Matt Bewig