Rebecca A. Contreras
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Chief Human Capital Officer
Rebecca Contreras currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Chief Human Capital Officer at the Department of the Treasury. Treasury is the primary cabinet-level agency responsible for the economic and financial security of the U.S. In this capacity, she serves as the corporate head of human resources for the Department. Her Office develops, implements and evaluates human capital policies and programs in areas such as employment, executive resources, labor and employee relations, workforce development, performance management, compensation and other human resources functions. In her current role, she serves as the chief advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Treasury’s executive leadership on human resources management policies, programs and initiatives, including the Human Capital component of the President’s Management Agenda. Contreras serves as the Chair of the Treasury Diversity Council and the Treasury Human Resources Advisory Council.
In June 2003, Contreras was appointed to serve on the new Chief Human Capital Officers Council, a government-wide policy planning group comprised of cabinet agency officials. Created by a provision in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the council is accountable for leading and directing cabinet agencies’ human resources management policies and programs. The Council advises Congress and cabinet secretaries on issues ranging from the modernization of human resources information systems to legislation affecting recruiting and compensation programs in the Federal Government.
Previously, Contreras served as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House. As a commissioned member of the President ’s staff, she was responsible for over 1,200 Presidential appointments to approximately 260 part-time boards and commissions throughout the Federal Government during the first two and a half years of the Administration.
Contreras’ knowledge of human resources management stems from her public sector experience in state government. Prior to her White House appointment, Contreras worked in Texas state government for eleven years. She worked for then Governor George W. Bush throughout his term as Governor. From 1995 to 1997 she served as the Governor’s Deputy Director of Human Resources and was appointed in late 1997 to serve as the Director of Human Resources for the last several years of the Administration. Before joining the Governor’s Office, she served as the Human Resources Management Officer at the Texas State Treasury Department.
Contreras pursued her professional development at the University of Texas Professional Development Center. She is a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program Class XIX -- offered by the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She also completed the Human Resources Management Certification Program offered through the University of Texas at Austin Professional Development Center.