Ms. Cindy Lersten, a 20-year career professional in government and a member of the Senior Executive Service, is serving as Associate Administrator for Management and Budget at NNSA after serving in the role of Deputy Associate Administrator for the past six-months. As a recipient of the 2008 OPM Presidential Meritorious Rank Award for her work in globally reducing weapons of mass destruction and her achievements in mentoring and training across government, Ms. Lersten with her notable experience will be responsible for NNSA’s human capital management policies and programs; leadership and development; financial management programs, and administrative operations supporting more than 33,000 employees nation-wide.
Prior to joining the office of Management and Budget, Ms. Lersten encumbered a position to advance the Agency’s goals in human capital management, including an assignment aimed to achieving a cutting edge NNSA Executive Corps.
In August 2003, Ms. Lersten joined the Senior Executive Service to serve as the Associate Assistant Deputy Administrator to the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security, an office of 90 people and $140M budget, which works with over 50 countries to reduce the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
From 2001-2003, she served as the senior DOE Middle East Regional representative while living in Dubai.
In 1999 Ms. Lersten became the DOE Moscow Officer Director at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. During this time, she oversaw implementation of DOE’s $300 million nuclear assistance program in Russia. She traveled extensively with the U.S. Ambassador and Secretary of Energy throughout Russia with the goal of developing partnerships to reduce the nuclear weapons stockpile in Russia.
Prior to her work in Russia, Ms. Lersten began her career at the Department of Energy in 1994 to manage two programs that aided Russia and the Newly Independent States in securing their borders and establishing effective systems of export control. Previously, Ms. Lersten worked as a Federal Investigator under Office of Federal Investigations at the Office of Personnel Management in Washington, D.C. She also worked for former Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson.
Ms. Lersten graduated from University of Wyoming with a B.A. in International Studies and obtained her M.A. from George Washington University in Security Policy Studies. Ms. Lersten is married and has four children.
