Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives

The Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives (CAO) is the chief administrative officer of the United States House of Representatives, charged with carrying out administrative functions for the House, including human resources, information resources, payroll, finance, procurement, and other business services.

Along with the other House officers, the Chief Administrative Officer is elected every two years when the House organizes for a new Congress. The majority and minority party conferences (the Democratic Caucus of the United States House of Representatives and Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives) nominate candidates for the House officer positions after the election of the Speaker of the House. The full House adopts a resolution to elect the officers, who will begin serving the Membership after they have taken the oath of office.

The office of the CAO was first created during the 104th Congress, which met from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997. It replaced the position of the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives, which was abolished at the same time. Scot Faulkner of West Virginia served as the first CAO. During his tenure he led the reform of the scandal-plagued House financial system, abolished the Folding Room, and privatized Postal operations, printing, and shoe repair. Mr. Faulkner's office also implemented the first House Intranet (CyberCongress) and expanded digital camera coverage of the House Chamber and committee rooms. Faulkner's reform efforts are chronicled in the books "Naked Emperors" [Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. February 2008; ISBN 0-7425-5881-9] and "Inside Congress" [Pocket Books August 1998 ISBN 0-671-00386-0].

In 2007 then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appointed Daniel P. Beard of Maryland as CAO. She tasked him to carrying out her Green the Capitol initiative, a move that would later prove not too popular with some Congressional Members. Beard also restructured divisions within CAO that handled such administrative functions as House payroll and benefits. |-In July 2010 he handed the reins of the position over to Dan Strodel of Virginia, who prior to becoming CAO served as a senior adviser on the House Administration Committee. Strodel held the position until early 2014 when the current Chief Administrative Officer Ed Cassidy took over responsibilities. Cassidy retired from the position on December 31, 2015.

List of Chief Administrative Officers

This table represents those who have served as Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives. The table lists the CAO who began each Congress; Term of Service may end before the sitting Congress if they resigned early.a

United States Congress	Chief Administrative Officer	State or Territory	Term of Service
104th	Scot Faulkner	West Virginia	January 3, 1995 - January 3, 1997
105th	Jeff Trandahl	South Dakota	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 1999
106th	James M. Eagen, III	Maryland	January 3, 1999 – February 15, 2007
107th		Virginia
108th
109th
110th
111th	Daniel P. Beard	Maryland	February 15, 2007 – July 1, 2010
112th	Daniel J. Strodel	Virginia	July 15, 2010 – January 3, 2012
113th	Daniel J. Strodel	Virginia	January 3, 2012 - January 6, 2014
113th	Ed Cassidy	Virginia	January 6, 2014 - January 3, 2015
114th	Ed Cassidy	Virginia	January 3, 2015 - December 31, 2015
114th	Will Plaster	Virginia	January 1, 2016 - Present

External links

• Official website