One of the top Hispanics in the Obama administration, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Katherine Archuleta, announced Friday she is resigning, one day after her agency revealed that more than 22 million people had their data stolen in a pair of massive cyberattacks on OPM.
"I conveyed to the president that I believe it is best for me to step aside and allow new leadership that will enable the agency to move beyond the current challenges and allow the employees at OPM to continue their important work," Archuleta said in a statement.
On Thursday, Archueta and other federal officials said that about 22 million people were affected by security breaches that affected current as well as federal employees and their spouses, as well as contractors. The personal information that was stolen included Social Security numbers, medical data and background interviews as well as fingerprint records.
About 4 million people were affected in the first breach, detected in April. Officials said the "same actor" was responsible for a second breach that affected over 21 million people.
Archuleta's resignation comes after legislators from both parties criticized the agency over the breaches.
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Archuleta was the first Hispanic to hold the job overseeing the federal workforce of about 2 million employees. In a June 2014 interview with NBC News, Archuleta said one of her goals was to increase the number of Latinos working for the federal government, in part by identifying federal jobs in different states.
"I am sorry to see Katherine Archuleta step down under these circumstances," said Hector Sanchez, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) Chair and Executive Director of LCLAA, who described Archuleta as a "bridge builder" and an effective leader. "Having worked with her directly on the Hispanic Council on Federal Employment, I saw first-hand her commitment and energy in taking on the vast, complicated federal personnel system to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion of Latinos in the federal workforce," he said, adding she "deserves our gratitude."
Before her position as OPM Director, Archuleta had worked in several prominent positions, including national political director for President Obama's re-election campaign. She was also chief of staff at the Department of Labor and before that was a senior adviser for the city and county of Denver.
--NBC's Keith Flagstaff and Suzanne Gamboa contributed to this report