<P> The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an independent agency of the United States government that manages the civil service of the federal government . </P> <P> On November 10, 2015 President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Beth Cobert to be the Director of the Office of Personnel Management . Cobert had been Acting Director since July 2015 . </P> <P> The United States Civil Service Commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 . The commission was abolished and replaced by OPM on January 1, 1979, following the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (43 FR 36037, 92 Stat. 3783). </P> <P> In 1996 the investigation branch of the OPM was privatized, and USIS was formed . </P>

What was the precursor to the office of personnel management