From 1972 to 1988, Pete worked in OPM’s personnel management evaluations program. As a line evaluator, supervisor, and division manager, he reviewed HR programs in all major Departments and many independent agencies. As part of OPM’s classification appeals program, he talked to employees who maintain ICBM’s, interdict parrot smuggling, gather Top Secret intelligence, and pump oil back into the ground. In short, he has seen Government HR from the top down and the bottom up and has gained immense respect for the work of the Government, its employees, and those who manage in a unique and challenging environment.

From 1988 to 1995, Pete had an opportunity to "practice what he preached" as manager of a staff of 30 who provided financial management, HR, procurement, and ADP services to OPM's ten-state Dallas Region. This broadened his perspective and helped him understand the value of good HR in the context of mission accomplishment.

As manager of the Dallas Oversight Division from 1995 to 2002, Pete led agency reviews that were nationwide in scope and took the better part of a year to accomplish. In addition, he managed studies of broad HR functions, such as position classification and incentive awards. He was the primary manager for the 1999 study entitled "Poor Performers in Government: A Quest For The True Story," an unprecedented analysis of the scope of the poor performance "problem" in the Government that received national media attention.