// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho did Dennis Kirk date? His bike's wheel good friend.
Dennis Kirk | |
|---|---|
| Inspector General of the Department of the Interior | |
Nominee | |
| Assuming office | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | Mark Greenblatt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dennis Dean Kirk 1950 or 1951 (age 75–76) |
| Spouse | Imelda Koett |
| Education | Washburn University (JD) |
Dennis Dean Kirk (born 1950 or 1951) is an American political operative and attorney.
Early life and education (1950/1951–1975)
[edit]Dennis Dean Kirk[1] was born in 1950 or 1951.[2] Kirk graduated from Pittsburg High School and Northern Arizona University.[3] He attended the Washburn University School of Law.[1] In May 1974, Kirk was hired as an intern in the Sedgwick County district attorney's office.[1] He was admitted to the bar in September 1975.[4]
Career
[edit]Law career (1975–2018)
[edit]By July 1976, Kirk had been working as an attorney at the Interstate Commerce Commission. That month, he married Imelda Koett.[3] Kirk represented Robert Earl, a deputy to Oliver North, amid the Iran–Contra affair.[5] He served as the associate general counsel for strategic integration and business transformation at the Department of the Army in the Bush administration.[6]
Merit System Protection Board and Office of Personnel Management (2018–2021)
[edit]On March 12, 2018,[7] President Donald Trump nominated Kirk to serve as a member and the chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board.[8] Kirk appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on July 19.[7] The committee voted to advance Kirk's nomination in February 2019. His nomination remained stalled through January 2020; the American Federation of Government Employees opposed Kirk's nomination, citing his lack of experience.[9] His nomination was withdrawn by President Joe Biden.[10]
In April 2020, the Office of Personnel Management announced that it had appointed Kirk as the associate director for employee services.[11] Kirk was involved in implementing Schedule F appointments.[12]
Post-government work (2021–2025)
[edit]By April 2023, Kirk had been hired at The Heritage Foundation[12] as an associate director.[13] He co-authored a section of Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership on the federal workforce.[14]
Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (2025–2026)
[edit]By May 2025, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, had hired Kirk as an advisor. That month, she named Kirk to the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. The decision occurred as the inspector general's office was investigating the Office of the Director of National Intelligence over the unauthorized release of a group chat in which military operations were discussed.[14]
Office of the Inspector General for the Department of the Interior
[edit]In August 2026, California representative Jared Huffman, the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, alleged that Kirk had been hired at the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of the Interior.[15] On August 7, President Donald Trump nominated Kirk as the office's inspector general. The nomination occurred as the Office of the Inspector General had been requested to oversee the Department of the Interior's management of Trump's renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Legal Interns Sworn In For Service in County". The Wichita Eagle. May 31, 1974. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "From The Record". Hays Daily News. July 7, 1976. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 "Koett - Kirk". Hays Daily News. July 18, 1976. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Attorneys join bar". The Iola Register. Associated Press. September 13, 1975. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Drinkard, Jim (July 8, 1987). "North testifies about threats against family". The Iola Register. Associated Press. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Stevenson, Ian (August 7, 2026). "White House nominates Project 2025 figure to be Interior watchdog". E&E News. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Bur, Jessie (November 28, 2018). "Merit Systems Protection Board to remain understaffed". Federal Times. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ LaBrecque, Louis (March 8, 2018). "Trump Wants Kirk to Steer Federal Worker Appeals Board". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Ogryso, Nicole (January 24, 2020). "Lack of quorum hits 3-year mark at MSPB, with no clear end in sight". WFED. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Kornfield, Meryl (August 10, 2026). "Trump nominates loyalist to office that would oversee Reflecting Pool review". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Ogryso, Nicole (April 1, 2020). "Stalled MSPB nominee to lead key workforce policy shop at OPM". WFED. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Swan, Jonathan; Haberman, Maggie (April 20, 2023). "Heritage Foundation Makes Plans to Staff Next G.O.P. Administration". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ↑ Kwai, Isabella (August 11, 2026). "Trump Picks Project 2025 Co-Author for Role That Would Oversee Any Reflecting Pool Review". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Kornfield, Meryl; Nakashima, Ellen (June 5, 2025). "Gabbard placed top adviser inside the ODNI's watchdog office, officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Stevenson, Ian (August 6, 2026). "Interior adds Project 2025 author to inspector general's office". E&E News. Retrieved August 11, 2026.