Wal-Mart Foundation Director To Be Named To White House Budget Post

President Barack Obama will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation, to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget on Monday, according to numerous sources.

Wal-Mart confirmed the nomination in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

“We congratulate Sylvia on her nomination by President Obama to be director of the Office of Management and Budget,” said Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke. “Sylvia is a strong leader who both masters the details and has a clear vision for making big things happen. She cares deeply about people and has natural personal warmth that enables her to build relationships and drive results that deliver impact. She understands business and the role that business, government and civil society must play to build a strong economy that provides opportunity and strengthens communities across the country. Sylvia does a great job leading the Walmart Foundation, and if confirmed by the Senate, will do a tremendous job serving our country.”

Burwell, 47, came to the Wal-Mart Foundation in January 2012 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was deputy director of the White House budget office during the Clinton administration and has served a stint at the U.S. Department of Treasury. She will replace acting director Jeffrey Zients who has been heading the office on an interim basis for more than a year.

Burwell is a West Virginia native and holds degrees from Harvard University and Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

Her appointment is contingent on confirmation by the U.S. Senate. If approved, she will oversee an annual budget of nearly $4 trillion. She’ll also find herself at the epicenter of Congressional debate over the latest sequester budget cuts and forthcoming budget showdowns between the executive and legislative branches.

The Office of Management and Budget is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President and is a member of the cabinet.