U.S. General Services Administration
PBS Director Kelly Juarez to retire from GSA
PBS Region 6 Leasing Director Kelly Juarez will retire August 31 after a GSA career spanning 30 years.
Juarez first joined GSA as a PBS intern and transitioned into the role of lease contracting officer. She also served as an asset manager and pricing specialist before joining the regional leadership team as an asset management branch chief.
In 2016 she was promoted to PBS Region 6 Chief of Staff and became Leasing Division director in 2018.
“I started at GSA as a leasing intern,” Juarez said. “Ending my career in leasing feels like coming full circle! I enjoyed every position I held at GSA.”
Q&A with Kelly Juarez
What are you most proud of during your time at GSA?
“I had an amazing career with PBS and would recommend it to anyone. The work associated with our mission is rewarding, and I loved managing and working on various space and non-space projects on behalf of the tenant agencies and the taxpayer. I participated in many interesting activities, such as teaching the pricing policy nationwide and doing a detail in the Administrator's office.
I'm most proud of an exchange program I got selected for where I represented GSA and worked at Senaatti Properties (Finnish version of GSA) in Helsinki for 9 weeks. I still keep in contact with friends I made there. I am also proud of any developmental support I was able to give to others. We have amazing talent in PBS, and I wish everyone a career as rewarding as mine.”
Any plans for retirement?
“I have a ton of ideas — volunteer at an animal shelter, road trips in our electric car, make some impact on climate change issues, learn to play pickleball, learn a foreign language, etc. — but for a couple months I am purposely not making any plans.”
What advice would you give to new employees just starting their GSA career?
“Prepare yourself and take advantage of the great opportunities that will come your way in PBS, including regional and national networking connections. You never know where those will lead! Look for ways to be connected to your fellow GSAers. It's not as easy as it used to be, but it's so important to build those relationships. It also increases your job satisfaction to really know those you work with. And, don't forget to have fun and keep your sense of humor.”