After leaving the mayor's office, DeSeve started his own economic consulting firm called Public Financial Management; it provided advice to local governments and authorities. In 1979, DeSeve left his consulting firm to rejoin government circles as Philadelphia Mayor Bill Green's (D) finance director. When he returned to Philadelphia's mayoral offices, DeSeve had to handle a city on the verge of economic collapse. Through a revised budget, he helped guide Philadelphia back to economic security, but oversaw the layoffs of 1,300 city employees in the interim.

DeSeve left government in 1983, joining Merrill Lynch Capital Markets as a managing director. He would stay at Merrill for two years before starting another business. His new company, American Capital Group, provided financial and investment advice to government agencies. By 1990, DeSeve had returned to government work, serving as Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey's (D) assistant.

Clinton Administration

In 1993, after a brief return to private life, DeSeve became Clinton's chief financial officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) serving under Secretary Henry G. Cisneros. DeSeve stayed at HUD for a year before becoming the OMB comptroller.

In 1998, President Clinton nominated DeSeve to serve as OMB deputy director. Working under Clinton OMB Director Jacob Lew (who returns to that post under Obama), DeSeve served as deputy director on an interim basis for a year. But he was never confirmed because an unnamed senator would not relinquish his hold on the nomination. DeSeve stayed at the OMB until April 1999.

Until joining the Obama administration, DeSeve worked as a partner and national-industry director for KPMG Peat Marwick. He then became a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland before assuming the job of chief executive at the consulting firm Strategies and Solutions. Prior to his appointment, DeSeve lectured at the Fels Institute for Government at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

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