The Senior Executives Association (SEA) is a lobbying group which represents the interests of high-level federal employees, particularly those in the Senior Executive Service (SES), or the upper management of federal agencies who rank just below presidential appointees.

The SEA was founded in 1980 following a major restructuring of the civil service which resulted in many upper-level government employees being incorporated into the newly established SES pay scale. That year, Congress also implemented limits on bonuses for senior federal executives, prompting a group of them to form the association to protect their salaries and interests. The first president of the SEA was Bill Williams, the deputy commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at the time, who resigned from his position to run the association. Since then, the SEA has lobbied members of Congress, attempted to influence presidential administrations, and even filed lawsuits aimed at securing benefits for SES members. ^{1 2}

Initiatives

The Senior Executives Association lobbies and pressures members of Congress and the Executive Branch, including Obama, Trump, and Biden administration officials. Issues which the association has weighed in on have included both matters directly affecting the federal workforce and partisan political questions. ³

In March 2017, the SEA protested aspects of the government hiring freeze instituted by then-President Donald Trump, calling on his administration to create exceptions to the policy for certain agencies. ⁴ The association also opposed Trump’s initiative to have questions about immigration status included in the 2020 Census, claiming that this would exacerbate alleged “anti-immigrant rhetoric” and create a “chilling effect” for respondents. ⁵

Affiliates

The Senior Executives Association collaborates with other government employee unions and management associations to influence Congress on issues of interest to the federal workforce as a whole. ⁶

The SEA has maintained a professional development league (PDL) which provides networking opportunities for the association’s members and conducts research intended to advance the association’s mission. The SEA PDL last filed tax documents in 2017. ⁷

The SEA corporate advisory council includes the health insurance provider BlueCross BlueShield, the information management software developer OpenText, and the Arbinger Institute, a consulting and corporate leadership training organization. ⁸

Leadership

Marcus Hill is the president of the Senior Executives Association. He is a former federal law enforcement training director and a retired Air Force personnel officer. He also worked for the Transportation Security Administration. Hill attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Naval Postgraduate School, and lists the left-of-center Brookings Institution as part of his educational background. ⁹

Maxanne Witkin is the chair of the SEA board. ¹⁰ She previously worked for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, where she handled complaints of alleged racial, gender, and other discrimination. Witkin touts her record and continuing objective of reshaping the demographics of the SES to favor minority groups. ¹¹

Melody Bell is the secretary of the SEA board. ¹² She is a deputy director at the Department of Energy’s office of environmental management and a director at the department’s office of energy efficiency and renewable energy. She is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. Bell attended the Air Force Academy and the Harvard Kennedy School. ¹³

Financials

In 2020, the Senior Executives Association received just over $250,000 in contributions and grants and incurred just over $300,000 of expenses. That year, the association had a budget deficit of more than $330,000. ¹⁴ The association’s professional development league, which last reported its financial information in 2017, had less than $25,000 in net assets. ¹⁵

1. “Founding & History.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/founding-history
2. “Senior Executive Service.” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/
3. ^[1]“Letters to the Administration and the Executive Branch.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/letters-to-the-administration
4. Bill Valdez. “Dear Director Mulvaney and Acting Director McGettigan…” Senior Executives Association. March 9, 2017. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/assets/docs/sealettertoomb-opmonleadersh.pdf
5. ^[1]“SEA Join Letter to DOJ Opposing Addition of Immigration Question to Census.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/sea-join-letter-to-doj-opposing-addition-of-immigration-question-to-census
6. “Task Forces and Coalitions.” Senior Executive Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/task-forces-coalitions
7. Senior Executives Association Professional Development League 2017 Internal Revenue Service Form 990-EZ. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/581683046/10_2019_prefixes_57-59%2F581683046_201810_990EZ_2019103116804226
8. “Corporate Advisory Council.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/corporate-advisory-council
9. Marcus L. Hill. LinkedIn. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hill1924
10. “SEA Board of Directors.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/board-members
11. “2022-2023 SEA Board Member Biographies.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/board-bios
12. “SEA Board of Directors.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/board-members
13. “2022-2023 SEA Board Member Biographies.” Senior Executives Association. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://www.seniorexecs.org/board-bios
14. Senior Executives Association 2020 Internal Revenue Service Form 990. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521191891/202222429349300807/full
15. Senior Executives Association Professional Development League 2017 Internal Revenue Service Form 990-EZ. Accessed July 8, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/581683046/10_2019_prefixes_57-59%2F581683046_201810_990EZ_2019103116804226