U.S. Access Board Staff Earlene Sesker and Jeff Sargent to Retire in March
At the end of March, two U.S. Access Board staff members, Earlene Sesker and Jeff Sargent, will retire after their decades-long tenure at the agency. Sesker has spent 34 years in the federal government, including 30 years at the Board, and retires as the Board’s Director of Administration. Sargent has been in government service for 38 years, including 34 years at the Board, and retires as the Board’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Over the years, Sesker and Sargent’s myriad contributions were integral to the success of the mission and operations of the Board.
In 1989, Sesker began her government service at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as an Accounts Receivable Analyst, and she was promoted two years later to Lead Accounts Receivable Analyst. In 1993, Sesker first joined the Board as a Compliance Specialist, investigating Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) complaints. She would return to the VA in 1994 as Chief of Operations before rejoining the Board as an Accessibility Specialist in 1995. As an Accessibility Specialist, Sesker provided technical assistance on the Board’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ABA Accessibility Standards and accessible design. In 2016, Sesker became the Training Coordinator, leading the Board’s training program.
In 2018, Sesker was promoted to the position of Director of Administration at the Board. In this role, she applied her extensive knowledge and exceptional skills to oversee and coordinate all administrative activities, including budget management, fiscal accounting, personnel, payroll services, contracts management, procurement, information technology, travel management, space and property management, records administration, policy development, and employee services.
During his 34 years at the Board, Sargent undertook various positions, adeptly contributing to the functions of the Board. Sargent’s federal service began in 1984 when he worked at the General Services Administration in Kansas City, Missouri as a Payroll Technician in the Office of Finance. In this role, he handled the Board’s account, which led, at first, to a three-month Detail position with the Board in 1989 and then to the position of Management Analyst in the Board’s Office of the Executive Director. In 1992, Sargent became an ABA Compliance Specialist as part of the Board’s ABA Enforcement Program, which ensures buildings or facilities that were constructed or altered by or on behalf of the U.S. or leased by the U.S., after August 12, 1968, be accessible to people with disabilities.
In 2008, Sargent became the first Director in the Board’s newly established Office of Administration. As Director, he supervised and led a team of staff to provide administrative support activities for the agency, including human resources, budget and finance, records management, and information technology (IT) operations and support. In this role, he was also staff liaison to the Board’s Budget Committee. In 2013, the Board created the CFO position, and Sargent became the first CFO, which he holds today.
As Sesker and Sargent embark on their retirement, the Board commends them for their years of dedicated federal service and for their long-time commitment to equality and accessibility for people with disabilities. The Board wishes them well in their retirement.