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Charles E. Kieffer, a name well-known in Washington budgeting circles, was honored June 13 with the 2025 Paul L. Posner Federal Budgeting Career Legacy Award, capping a 44-year public service career that bridged White House administrations and congressional leadership. The recognition, presented during the spring luncheon of the OMB/BOB Alumni Society, underscores the Schar School of Policy and Government’s commitment to elevating excellence in public administration.
The Posner Award—now in its 11th year—is administered by the Schar School at George Mason University in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget/Bureau of Budget Alumni Society. Named for the late Paul L. Posner, a revered Schar School professor and former U.S. Government Accountability Office leader, the award honors individuals whose federal budgeting careers reflect the same intellectual rigor, ethical compass, and service-minded leadership that defined Posner’s life.
Presenting the award on behalf of the Schar School was Alan J. Abramson, professor and director of the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise. Abramson noted the resonance between Posner and Kieffer as both men brought integrity and insight to the institutions they served, he said, highlighting how their quiet tenacity influenced generations of budgeteers and policymakers.
Kieffer’s influence spans decades and institutions. Most prominently, he served as staff director of the Senate Appropriations Committee, managing a team of more than 60 professionals responsible for guiding $1.7 trillion in annual spending. Working under chairs Robert Byrd, Patrick Leahy, and Barbara Mikulski, Kieffer was a trusted bipartisan navigator in a politically charged landscape. Earlier in his career, he played a formative role in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and handled the D.C. appropriations portfolio with a deft understanding of local and federal dynamics.
Before his Senate tenure, Kieffer spent 16 years at the Office of Management and Budget, ultimately serving as acting associate director for legislative affairs. His service crossed three presidential administrations—Reagan, Bush, and Clinton—earning him a reputation for quiet competence and nonpartisan steadiness.
Award committee member and co-presenter Joe Minarik, a former OMB official, summed up the sentiment shared in the room: “Chuck Kieffer well deserves the Posner Award…He faithfully spoke truth to power.”
Kieffer adds the Posner Award to an impressive list of honors. For the Schar School, the celebration reaffirms its role in recognizing and shaping leaders who, like Posner and Kieffer, turn budget books into instruments of national purpose.