A GSA career executive with more than 20-years of experience at the agency, Costa's past positions range from Presidential Management intern to PBS chief of staff and assistant regional administrator for GSA's National Capital Region. In that latter role, he oversaw the daily operation of over 86 million square feet of space in the DC area. In September 2004, he became PBS deputy commissioner at GSA headquarters.

Normally a behind-the-scene bureaucratic operation, PBS has been gaining new visibility among those cities and regions whose commercial real estate markets are heavily dependent on government leases. In July, for example, Winstead testified before the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, at a hearing entitled "Credit Crunch: A Hearing on the Effects on Federal Leasing and Construction." Costa was not available for comment in time for publication.