Susan Brita to serve as GSA's deputy administrator

Susan Brita, a 26-year veteran of Capitol Hill and the General Services Administration, will return to the agency as deputy administrator, officials announced Friday.

Brita served as GSA chief of staff from 1985 to 1988 and has most recently served as staff director for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's subcommittee on public buildings and emergency management. That means she's one of a handful of Washington folks familiar with the operations of GSA, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Architect of the Capitol.

Brita replaces agency Barney Brasseux, who recently retired.

The agency still lacks a permanent administrator. Martha Johnson was nominated by President Obama and May and has waited longer than any current nominee for an up or down Senate vote.