Meet Michael Owh
Chief Deputy Director of Internal Services Department
Why did you choose to work for LA County?
My greatest priority for my career, even before graduating from law school, was public service. That is why I have spent my entire career in government, first in New York City, then the City of LA, and now the County. The impact of public service is also important to me. Therefore, it was so rewarding to work in New York, which serves 8.5 million residents and has a budget of more than $90 billion. Coming back home to LA, I am so grateful for the opportunity to work for the County, which serves 10 million residents with a budget of more than $30 billion and encompasses more than 4000 square miles. That scale is hard to match.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Never say no to a project. When I was a young staff attorney, I took on any job that needed to be done whether it was legal or not. If someone needed help or if no one wanted to do a task, I’d do it. It allowed me to gain a lot of experience in areas that were not necessarily in my portfolio and it also showed management that I was eager and ready. Also, I’d tell people: never take anything personally. It helps you keep perspective.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful in your career?
I wake up every morning and go to sleep every night reminding myself that I am a public servant. I work as hard as possible. I try to learn as much as possible about the job (and the jobs of the team) so I can understand the details and make good decisions. I try to overcommunicate and receive as much feedback as possible. However, if I’m being completely honest, I think the biggest factors that helped me be successful are timing and luck. I understand that I am very lucky and privileged to be where I am in my career; lucky that the timing for new opportunities aligned with my availability and privileged that I’ve been selected for such positions. That being said, I still made sure I was ready for those opportunities.
What are your success habits?
I run early every morning to clear my head and get my mind ready for the day ahead. I read as much as possible, both fiction, nonfiction, and news. I also pick up the phone to call people instead of relying on emails too much.
Whose career inspires you and why?
I don’t really look at one person; I like to study careers and leadership styles across the board. One example is the career of President Abraham Lincoln as told by Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. He brought in the best people to work with him, even though some of them were very critical of him personally and outwardly disagreed with him. Lincoln said: “We need the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet. We needed to hold our own people together. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services.” His confidence, security, and self awareness is inspirational to me.
If you weren’t a Chief Deputy Director for LA County, what career would you like to explore?
My professional goal has always been to be the best public servant that I can be. It doesn’t matter what the title is and where as much as how big an impact I can make and how best I can contribute to society.
What personality trait should every leader have?
I think a true leader needs to possess multiple traits to be effective, including (but not limited to) strategic vision, patience, empathy, self-awareness, and confidence.
What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?
When I was a General Counsel, one of my best friends applied to an open position for which I had final say and I chose a different person. It was personally difficult for me, but the best decision for the organization.
How do you push through your worst times?
Even when I’m super frustrated, I feel very grateful for the opportunity to serve the public. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
What mistakes have you made along the way?
I’ve made so many mistakes that it’s hard to even list them. Generally, the mistakes stem from miscommunication or not communicating enough. There are also mistakes that stem from not being rigorous enough or being too focused on perfection instead of execution. It’s all about continuous learning and improvement.
If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?
It all comes down to listening more, being kind, and trying to see from everyone’s perspective. So in each circumstance where I’ve made a mistake, I would like to think I learned a lesson to apply to the next time and
ultimately it improved my judgment.
Have you personally experience any form of discrimination as an Asian American?
Yes, especially growing up. I arrived in LA as a 5 year-old from Korea and didn’t know how to speak English and had no friends. So you can imagine some of the challenges.
In light of the rise in AAPI hate crimes that are occurring in our community, what are somethings (or one thing) our community can do as a response?
I think the most important thing for us to do is continue to stand together and speak with one voice against discrimination and hate. We are all people and it’s easy to focus on the differences, but in my experience, we have so much more in common and we have so much more power and agency than we think.
What is the best advice you can give LACAAEA members?
I would like to encourage all of you to truly appreciate being a public servant and the impact you have on our residents. You are in the arena – make the most of it.
Michael is a passionate public servant and a proven government executive with a track record of success in improving operational performance while prioritizing equity, transparency, and commitment to the public. With an annual budget of over $873M, the ISD Executive team lead over 7,000 county and contracted workers in operations, information technology, environmental, administrative, purchasing, and contracting. Prior to joining the County, Michael was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as the City of LA’s first Chief Procurement Officer, where he led the launch of the City’s online certification tool, providing unprecedented transparency into the City’s spending.
Prior to coming to LA, Michael was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to serve as New York’s Chief Procurement Officer and Director of Contract Services, responsible for the city’s procurement policy and the oversight of more than $20 billion coordinated through 40 city agencies. Michael is the recipient of many public service awards, including the Small Business Advocate Award (2019), Community Visionary Award (2018), and Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise Advocate Award (2016). Michael received his BA from the University of California at Berkeley, and his JD from the St. John’s University School of Law.
