The Senate on Thursday voted 53-43 to confirm Edward Forst, a seasoned executive and investor, as head of the General Services Administration.
According to a congressional notice published Thursday, Forst’s nomination was included in a larger group of federal government nominees that the Senate approved en bloc.
President Trump nominated Forst for the position in July.
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What Are David Forst’s Top Priorities as GSA Administrator?
During his Senate confirmation hearing in October, Forst said that if confirmed, his priorities are unifying the federal acquisition system, rightsizing the federal real estate portfolio, encouraging small businesses to do business with the federal government and advancing technology transformation across agencies.
“The federal government’s acquisition system must operate as a unified enterprise, not as a patchwork of disconnected transactions. Centralizing and streamlining procurement can reduce duplication, lower costs, and improve speed and consistency across the government,” Forst told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“I am confident the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) team is prepared to fully embrace this once in a generation opportunity that will help agencies improve their mission delivery,” he added.
Who Is Edward Forst?
Forst brings decades of experience in global financial services and real estate to GSA. He spent three years as chairman of London-based private equity firm Lion Capital and served as CEO of Cushman & Wakefield. Earlier, he spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs, holding senior executive roles, including general partner, management committee member and co-CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
He also served as executive vice president and principal operating officer at Harvard University and was an adviser to the secretary of the Department of the Treasury. Forst started his career at Bankers Trust, where he served as a managing director.
He serves on the boards of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, the Investment Committee of Roundabout Theater and the East Hampton Healthcare Foundation.
A Harvard University economics graduate, Forst holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
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