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2021–22 Impact Report

2021-2022 Impact Report
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CHAIR

The Partnership for Public Service is the only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to building a better government and a stronger democracy.

Our work began 20 years ago, shortly after the tragic events of 9/11. At the time, Americans awakened to the need for an innovative and dynamic government that confronts national emergencies and tackles big problems, inspired in no small part by the public servants who stepped up to serve our nation at a time of crisis. In 2001, the Partnership was founded to address this critical need.

America would face other crises, from the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 to economic turmoil, natural disasters and acts of racial injustice. And just like before, we relied on government—our most vital public institution—to respond.

This past year, we were confronted by yet another urgent crisis: persistent challenges to American democracy that undermine public confidence in the way our government works. These challenges included a tumultuous presidential transition, a violent insurrection against Congress and growing suspicions about the results of a legitimate election. At the same time, many Americans continue to lack equal opportunity, a disparity that has been exacerbated by the pandemic and contributes to a declining faith in our public institutions.

Addressing these issues is critical to the health of our democracy—but we can only do so if our federal government keeps up with the changing world around us and reaches its full promise and potential.

In 2021, the Partnership worked energetically to make this vision a reality, developing nonpartisan, forward-thinking and multifaceted solutions that seek to transform how our government serves the people and demonstrate its essential role in protecting our health, safety and well-being.

During a tumultuous presidential transition, we worked closely with President Biden’s team, the Trump administration, career agency leaders and political appointees to execute America’s first virtual transition and ensure one of our nation’s core democratic traditions—the successful transfer of presidential power—would continue. We also launched an initiative to support congressional staff in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, part of our ongoing work to strengthen the institution of Congress so that it more effectively listens, leads and legislates for our diverse nation.

In addition, we continued to support the growth and development of career civil servants—the 2 million federal employees who work across politics and party to serve the public.

Our leadership development programs reached nearly 5,000 federal employees this past year, while an expanded suite of fellowship, internship and talent exchange programs helped agencies strengthen the federal workforce. We also continued to shed light on the accomplishments of outstanding federal workers to demonstrate how effective government impacts our lives for the better.

Throughout, our customer experience data, insights and research enabled agencies to expand their reach—serving not just those who typically engage with federal services, but those who often struggle hardest to access them. We recognize that the health of our democracy depends on government’s ability to meet the diverse needs of our nation—and we will continue to guide agencies in their work to listen to and better serve the public.

We are proud of these accomplishments, but we know there is much more to do. This Impact Report highlights the results of the Partnership’s work in 2021, looks back at our 20-year history and outlines our plans for the future. Our accomplishments would not be possible without the generous support of our donors and partners, whom we thank for supporting our work.

Together, we can build a better government and a stronger democracy.

Join us.

Max Stier
President and CEO

Tom Bernstein
Chair of the Board

A welcome from Partnership President and CEO Max Stier.

Our Mission: Building a Better Government and a Stronger Democracy.

Our nation and our democracy require an effective federal government to solve big challenges and serve the public good. We invite you to learn more about our mission and work.

Celebrating 20 Years

Twenty years ago, Samuel J. and Ronnie Heyman established the Partnership for Public Service as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more effective government. Explore our interactive timeline to learn how we have fulfilled that mission over the past two decades.

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  • A new nonprofit organization is born

    A new nonprofit organization is born

    Samuel J. Heyman and Ronnie F. Heyman found the Partnership for Public Service as the only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to building a more effective federal government. In its early years, the organization worked to fulfill this mission by inspiring mission-critical talent to serve in government and transforming the systems and processes that make government work.

  • Recognizing exceptional public servants

    The nation’s preeminent awards program for public servants is created: the annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® program. Known as the “Oscars” of government service, the Sammies have honored over 660 federal employees and now also recognize a Spirit of Service Award winner—an individual working outside the public sector who contributes significantly to the public good. In 2020, our first virtual Sammies program drew more than 300,000 views.

     

     

  • Recruiting the next generation of public servants

    Recruiting the next generation of public servants

    Call to Serve is created in collaboration with the Office of Personnel Management. It is the only nationwide network of colleges and universities focused solely on promoting federal service and recruiting the next generation of public servants. Since 2002, the program has worked with more than 700 colleges and universities to help agencies identify young talent and provide students and recent graduates with a better understanding of government work.

    “I think what the Partnership is doing is so important because there is a barrier to be able to get an internship in government. Going directly to college campuses and providing that entryway is great.”—Lyndsey Gallagher, former Call to Serve Innovation Internship Program participant

  • Building a people-first government

    Building a people-first government

    Congress adopts the Partnership’s recommendation to create the chief human capital officer position. The Chief Human Capital Officers Act of 2002 helps federal leaders prioritize workforce issues, requiring 24 agencies to create a senior-level CHCO position that will help agency heads and other officials recruit, develop and train employees, and create effective human resources strategies.

  • Giving voice to federal employees

    Giving voice to federal employees

    Congress enacts into law the Partnership’s recommendation that agencies conduct an annual employee survey. Administered by the Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is the government’s main tool to measure employees’ perceptions of their workplace and work experience. In 2020, over 620,000 executive branch employees completed the survey.

  • Recognizing our government’s best places to work

    Recognizing our government’s best places to work

    The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings launch. The rankings are the most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee engagement in the federal government, providing agency leaders, Congress and the public with critical insights into how public servants view their jobs and workplaces. Read our impact story and 15th anniversary report to learn how the Best Places to Work rankings continue to drive better performance across government.

  • Distilling lessons from Hurricane Katrina

    Distilling lessons from Hurricane Katrina

    The Government After Katrina project launches with support from the Ford Foundation. The initiative features a website outlining public sector management lessons from the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, promotes messages about the importance of effective government and includes several events hosted with leaders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These efforts help inform future Partnership research and programs focused on the importance of cultivating cross-sector engagement, developing effective workforce leadership, and identifying and recruiting critical talent.

  • Promoting public service and good leadership

    Promoting public service and good leadership

    The Annenberg Leadership Institute and Annenberg Speakers Bureau launch with support from the Annenberg Foundation. The speakers bureau sends federal employees to college campuses and other student venues to promote public service and raise awareness of federal job opportunities. The leadership institute aims to boost the skills of midlevel managers and enables teams of fellows to address their agencies’ real-life management and operational challenges.

  • Setting new standards for presidential transitions

    Setting new standards for presidential transitions

    The first presidential transition planning conference convenes senior presidential campaign representatives, members of the outgoing Bush administration, and other agency and nonprofit leaders. The meeting lays the groundwork for “Ready to Govern,” a report that recommends several preelection transition reforms aimed at ensuring smooth transfers of power. Similar meetings in 2012, 2016 and 2020—and the enactment of several of these transition reforms—set a new norm for presidential candidates and their teams to initiate transition planning earlier in the election cycle.

    “It is time to better enable new presidents to get their full team in place as quickly as possible. It will not be easy, but we must strive to change the status quo. This will require … creating a new set of goals and expectations that set a higher standard for all involved—the presidential candidates, the outgoing administration, a president-elect and then [the] new administration, and the Senate.” —“Ready to Govern: Improving the Presidential Transition,” January 2010

  • Expanding our horizons

    The Partnership acquires the Excellence in Government Fellows program, the Strategic Advisors to Government Executives network and Public Service Recognition Week from the Council for Excellence in Government. The EIG program is the premier leadership development course for career civil servants working at the GS-14 and GS-15 levels; the SAGE network is composed of more than 120 former political and career executives supporting government leaders; and PSRW remains the largest annual celebration of the nation’s federal, state, county, local and tribal government employees. Read our impact story about the EIG program.

     


    President Biden marks Public Service Recognition Week 2021 and thanks the Partnership for its work to honor public servants.

     

  • Making critical connections

    Making critical connections

    Two newly formed networks—the Innovators Roundtable and the Federal Human Capital Collaborative—bring communities of federal leaders and practitioners together to share best practices to address critical issues in their respective fields. Six other federal networks are created in succeeding years, including the Assistant Secretaries for Administration and Management Roundtable and the General Counsel Exchange. Eleven years later, the networks enable agency leaders to develop guidelines and strategies for addressing the unprecedented management challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Many thanks to the Partnership for Public Service for facilitating this useful and practical forum for agency general counsels to exchange experience, ideas and information during this most extraordinary time.”—Gretchen Jacobs, general counsel for the U.S. Access Board

  • A new board chairman takes the helm

    A new board chairman takes the helm

    Tom A. Bernstein, co-founder of Chelsea Piers, L.P., head of the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Human Freedom Advisory Council and former chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., becomes chairman of the Partnership’s board of directors. Under his watch, the Partnership doubles in size and expands its research portfolio, broadens its network of funders, launches new groundbreaking centers and initiatives, and expands its national profile as the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to building a better government and a stronger democracy.

    “Tom Bernstein’s energy, enthusiasm and steady guidance have taken the Partnership’s work to new heights. The Partnership would not be where it is today without his outstanding counsel and support.” – Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service

  • Helping agencies work effectively

    Helping agencies work effectively

    A six-year, multimillion dollar initiative focused on leadership development and employee engagement at the Department of Education launches with support from several foundations. Administered from 2010-2015, the program reaches about 2,000 employees—roughly one-third of the agency’s workforce—and leads to drastically improved employee satisfaction and performance. A multiyear program produces similar results at the Department of Labor, reaching more than 3,500 leaders between 2013 and 2018.

    “Our work with the Partnership has helped us along the critically important path of transforming Education’s culture into one that is more results-driven, innovative and inclusive.”—Arne Duncan, former secretary of the Department of Education

  • Championing laws that structure the modern presidential transition

    Championing laws that structure the modern presidential transition

    New research and transition work informs the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act, a landmark law that requires transition planning to begin well before a presidential election. The act requires the General Services Administration to provide office space and other support services to transition teams following the party nominating conventions. In 2015, the Partnership also champions the Edward “Ted” Kaufman and Mike Leavitt Presidential Transitions Act, which requires agencies to place a senior career employee in charge of overseeing transition activities at least six months before Election Day.

     

  • Preparing political appointees to govern from day one

    Ready to Govern® launches. Composed of a series of 90-minute onboarding sessions, the program helps political appointees manage their agencies and successfully navigate a large federal organization. Courses—led by a bipartisan group of current or former political appointees and career executives—include everything from federal ethics laws and working with the White House to understanding the federal budget process. More than 1,500 political leaders have participated in Ready to Govern. Read our impact story about the program.

  • Working to modernize an outdated hiring system

    Working to modernize an outdated hiring system

    New research and advocacy inform two critical civil service reforms: President Obama’s executive order aiming to improve how government hires, recruits and trains members of the Senior Executive Service; and the Competitive Service Act, a law Congress passes in early 2016 that allows agencies to share information about qualified job applicants and more easily fill mission-critical positions. Learn more about our wide-ranging research products.

  • A hub for presidential transitions

    A hub for presidential transitions

    The Center for Presidential Transition® launches, immediately becoming the premier nonpartisan resource for presidential candidates and their teams as they prepare to begin a new administration or a president’s second term. Soon after its founding, the center creates a first-of-its-kind political appointee tracker with The Washington Post to chart the status of Senate-confirmed appointees and hold administrations and Congress accountable for filling critical positions.

    “When I served as White House chief of staff, there was no playbook for presidential transitions. The Center has effectively filled that void by identifying best practices and providing critically needed support to a broad array of stakeholders.” –Josh Bolten, former chief of staff for President George W. Bush

    “We couldn’t walk into the White House on Jan. 21 and say, ‘What are we going to do?’ Starting the transition process early was critical—and the Center helped us do it.” –Melody Barnes, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Obama

    “The Partnership for Public Service, over the past decade, has become perhaps the world’s expert on U.S. presidential transitions.”—Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair
  • Creating a better customer experience

    Creating a better customer experience

    New research and programming help elevate the customer experience as a key focus area for Congress and federal agencies. Leaders from the public and private sectors participate in annual customer experience summits, agency leaders join customer experience roundtables to share best practices and solutions, customer experience profiles provide data and insights on how customers experience federal services, and a new report, “Government for the People,” offers the first comprehensive analysis of the federal customer experience. These efforts lay the groundwork for our ongoing advocacy of new customer experience legislation.

    “As the Office of Management and Budget was working to frame the [2018] president’s management agenda, the Partnership’s customer experience conference provided a critical opportunity to hear from leaders from both the public and private sectors. The discussion directly guided our efforts to make improving services to citizens a centerpiece of the president’s management agenda.”—Mark Bussow, Performance Team Lead, Office of Management and Budget

  • Building the brand

    Building the brand

    Partnership President and CEO Max Stier appears on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to discuss the political appointments process and the number of key leadership vacancies across government. Michael Lewis releases “The Fifth Risk”—a book that documents mismanagement at the departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Energy in the wake of the Obama-Trump transition and profiles several unsung public servants to demonstrate the critical role government plays in protecting our safety and well-being. Lewis features the Partnership—its mission, Service to America Medals program, transition work and more—to underscore the need for a deeper public appreciation of government.

    “By the fall of 2016, Max Stier might have been the American with the greatest understanding of how the U.S. government actually worked.” –Michael Lewis, “The Fifth Risk”

  • Supporting the use of emerging technologies

    Supporting the use of emerging technologies

    A newly created research and program portfolio examines how emerging technologies and artificial intelligence can support federal operations. A year later, the AI Federal Leadership Cohort launches in collaboration with Microsoft, Google and the Ford Foundation. The program prepares members of the Senior Executive Service to incorporate AI technology into the workplace. The newest cohort focuses on leveraging new technology to shape the future of government work after COVID-19.

    “I have started conversations with my management team and boss about AI— specifically about getting more education on AI and identifying opportunities to incorporate AI for our team and the organization as a whole.” –former AI Federal Leadership cohort participant

  • Doubling down on public service leadership

    A new, five-year strategic plan focuses on strengthening federal leadership—defined as senior career civil servants, political appointees, White House officials and members of Congress. A new Public Service Leadership Model frames and propels these efforts by setting enhanced standards for effective federal leadership.

  • Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion

    Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion

    The Partnership’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council is formed to work on reducing the institutional factors that inadvertently create barriers to inclusivity, and pens the DEI Commitment Statement, a North Star for efforts to create a healthy workplace. In the federal space, related work brings together key federal stakeholders who share leading DEI practices and helps agencies embed DEI principles into talent management practices, hiring strategies and leadership programs.

  • Branching out beyond the Beltway

    Branching out beyond the Beltway

    Partnership West launches to support federal employees working outside the Washington, D.C., area. Focusing its work in California—home to the largest regional population of federal workers outside the Beltway—the initiative helps agencies fill critical talent gaps, convenes cross-sector leaders to share best practices and common challenges around timely issues, and provides leadership training for federal employees through the Public Service Leadership Circle.

  • Supporting a transition like no other

    Supporting a transition like no other

    Amid a global pandemic and fierce disputes over the 2020 election results that delayed federal transition support for President-elect Joe Biden, the Center for Presidential Transition® prepares the incoming administration, members of the Trump team, career agency officials and potential political appointees to execute a successful transfer of power. The center creates over 1,000 pages of new resources—including vetting guides and agency organizational charts—convenes key stakeholders at a transition management conference, develops a new digital resource for potential appointees called Ready to Serve and launches Transition Lab, a new podcast offering a behind-the-scenes look at presidential transitions. This work enables the Biden administration to design and implement one of the most well-planned transitions in U.S. history—as well as the nation’s first virtual transition—despite unprecedented challenges.

    “I cannot imagine doing a presidential transition in the modern era without the Partnership. If a transition team itself had to assemble the information that the Partnership provides to every presidential transition, it would turn an incredibly difficult job into a complete nightmare. What the Partnership does is incredibly worthwhile.” – Ted Kaufman, co-chair of the 2020 Biden-Harris transition team

  • Responding to the Capitol insurrection

    Responding to the Capitol insurrection

    CapitolStrong.org launches in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The new microsite enables a diverse group of civil society organizations working to strengthen Congress to share information, promote one another’s resources and work together to honor and support congressional employees at all levels. The Library of Congress included CapitolStrong.org—and the work of this coalition to support the Capitol Hill community—in historical records intended to document the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath.

  • A new home for public service leaders

    A new home for public service leaders

    The Public Service Leadership Institute® launches as the preeminent source of programs, policies and perspectives for federal leaders. Building on our leadership work with tens of thousands of public servants, the institute works to unify government around a single leadership standard, develop federal leaders at all levels and amplify the importance of public service leadership through training programs, convenings, research and commentary. The institute is also home to the Public Service Leadership Model and the Government Advisory Leadership Council, a group of leaders in the corporate, nonprofit, federal and academic sectors. Watch the launch event or listen to our podcast episode on the institute.

    “Through this institute, we can help foster the kinds of leaders we need in government—those who are guided by a deep commitment to the public good and stewardship of the public trust.” – Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Leadership and Collaboration

Great leadership is fundamental to government effectiveness. Yet for too long, our government has fallen short in training, supporting and investing in leaders at all levels with consistent standards focused on the core values of stewardship of public trust and commitment to public good.

Our Work

We develop the skills and abilities of federal leaders at all levels and provide forums for them to discuss shared challenges and solutions. We also offer customized executive retreats and executive coaching to help individuals, offices and teams achieve their agencies’ missions.

Participants tell us our programs have transformed their professional lives and positioned them to take on larger roles at work. To learn more, read the impact story on our flagship leadership development program, the Excellence in Government Fellows Program.

Developing Better Leaders: Our 2021 Impact

5,000+

More than 5,000 federal employees reached through our leadership development courses.

300+

More than 300 sessions conducted in 2021—a 74% increase from 2020.

96%

96% participants agreed or strongly agreed that their program helped them to be a better leader.

1,500

Nearly 1,500 leaders used our 360 leadership assessment tool, providing more than 20,000 data points that will yield critical insights on the state of public service leadership.

We convened federal leaders to share best practices that enable government to work better.

The Partnership manages more than a dozen federal networks that regularly convene to address common management challenges faced by senior executives, including deputy secretaries, chief human capital executives, assistant secretaries for administration and management, general counsels, and more.

We brought together leaders from government and philanthropy to build cross-sector partnerships.

In November, we convened federal executives and foundation leaders to examine strategies for creating more effective public-philanthropic partnerships. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg served as the keynote speaker.

Ford Foundation President Darren Walker introduced Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who shared remarks and spoke with Partnership President and CEO Max Stier and leaders from the public and philanthropic sectors during our virtual event.

Looking Ahead

In 2022, we are stepping up our work with the launch of the Public Service Leadership Institute, which will be the premier resource for helping public sector leaders develop the capabilities to fulfill the promise of government.

The institute will feature our world-class training programs and custom offerings, original research and commentary, and policy and legislative recommendations that seek to support and develop strong federal leaders. By working in these areas, the institute will amplify the importance of public service leadership, provide leaders with the tools to improve their performance and strengthen their organizations, and advocate for a single leadership standard across government.

Highlight from our history

2019
The Public Service Leadership Model is created to set new standards for effective federal leadership.

Click to enlarge.

Our approach to developing leaders is grounded in our Public Service Leadership Model, which outlines the core values federal leaders should embody—stewardship of public trust and commitment to the public good—and describes the competencies they need at each stage of their leadership journey. Our proprietary 360 assessment is a professional development tool that measures leaders’ strengths and highlights areas for growth against the model.

Featured Report

“Leading with Experience: A Framework for Customer-Focused Leadership in Government”
A playbook for recruiting, developing and empowering federal leaders to create organizational cultures that put customers first.

Creating Critical Connections

Our Federal Human Capital Collaborative, comprised of more than 160 agency chief human capital officers from across 33 agencies and subcomponents, played an important role in supporting federal leaders as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. This community of practice met with private sector HR leaders and researchers to help inform strategies on envisioning the future of work in the federal government.

“I really appreciate the timeliness of the topics for this meeting. Our agency is currently revising our telework programs as well as looking into remote work options. Today’s presentations were very insightful and informative.”
—Summer 2021 Federal Human Capital Collaborative participant

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Federal Workforce

Our nation needs a new generation of diverse and skilled public servants to keep us safe, respond to emergencies, design high-impact social programs and conduct cutting-edge research. While many agencies have equipped their workforces to meet these needs, our federal government must do a better job in general of recruiting and retaining vital talent. A set of key challenges remain:

  • The federal government’s brand is badly damaged.
  • Opportunities for young people are hidden and scarce.
  • Barriers to entry abound for job candidates.
  • Federal employee engagement lags behind that of the private sector.
  • Opportunities remain to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility within the federal workforce.

To meet these challenges, government as a whole must develop leaders and build work environments that attract and develop talent.

Our Work

We help federal leaders address their talent deficits by drawing on our two decades of experience promoting public service careers and improving federal hiring processes and practices.

We study government’s recruiting and hiring challenges and recommend solutions to federal leaders, agencies and Congress. Our GoGovernment.org website helps jobseekers understand the federal hiring process so they can apply for and secure a federal job and our Call to Serve network, a group of more than 700 colleges and universities, helps students consider careers in government.

Over the last several years, we have also focused on federal internship and fellowship programs, which introduce young people to public service and fill critical talent gaps, and helped agencies reimagine and plan for the future of work—changes in the federal workplace caused by societal and technological transformation.

We piloted new programs to attract young people to public service.

Our Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program will provide 200 undergraduate and graduate students with paid summer internships at the Departments of Commerce and Transportation in the summers of 2022 and 2023.

We promoted innovative ways to bring specialized talent to government.

Our IPA Talent Exchange Program matches agencies that need specialized talent with candidates from academic, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and state and local government. A significant portion of the first participants will work in roles responsible for implementing President Biden’s executive order on supporting racial equity and underserved communities.

We highlighted the importance of employee engagement for recruiting and hiring talent.

Top-performing organizations have highly engaged employees who are connected to their missions and customers. Senior leaders must be held accountable for improving employee satisfaction and for creating a culture of recognition that includes awards and public acknowledgement of employees who excel.

Produced annually with Boston Consulting Group, the Partnership’s annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings offer valuable insights on employee engagement, serve as an early warning sign of trouble and pinpoint areas in need of improvement.

In June, we released the 15th edition of the rankings. Our anniversary report demonstrates the links between employee engagement and organizational performance and outlines strategies to better engage young people and career leaders—two groups key to government’s future success.

We promoted diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal workforce.

We delivered DEI-related seminars to more than 500 employees at the Department of Labor and the Economic Development Administration, and worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess its workplace culture. We also launched a new roundtable to help chief diversity officers identify and build strong talent practices.

Looking Ahead

In early 2022, we revamped our GoGovernment.org website to inspire more people to explore a career with the federal government. This year, we will also strengthen our Call to Serve network by redoubling our efforts to educate colleges and universities on the complex federal recruiting and hiring process.

In addition, we will help federal executives define and collaborate on issues around the future of work in government and expand our support for DEI best practices through leadership training, custom programming and research. Finally, we will promote reforms to modernize the civil service, including strengthening internship programs and making our government more effective in recruiting, hiring and retaining critical talent.

Highlight from our history

2003
The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings launch, the most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee engagement in the federal government.

Featured Report

“Trading Places: The Benefits, Challenges and Potential of Federal Public-Private Talent Exchanges”
A set of best practices and strategies for maximizing the potential of federal public-private talent exchanges.

Soaring to New Heights

NASA celebrates winning Best Places to Work’s large agency category for the ninth consecutive year. (Click to enlarge.)

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Innovation, the Customer Experience and Government Modernization

By being more innovative and customer-focused, government can better serve the public and deliver services more equitably to those who need them. However, recent Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® data shows that just under 67% of public servants feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing their jobs—more than seven points lower than private sector employees.

Our Work

We offer training, forums for federal leaders, data and insights to foster a more innovative, tech-savvy and responsive government.

We convened customer experience leaders and issued recommendations to help agencies build customer-focused services that serve the diverse needs of our country and rebuild public trust in government.

“Government for the People: Designing for Equitable and Trusted Customer Experiences”
Since 2019, we have published an annual report that provides the most comprehensive look at how customers experience key federal services. This year’s report encourages agencies to address inequitable service delivery and public distrust of government.

Loren DeJonge Schulman, the Partnership’s vice president of research and evaluation, discusses how more customer-focused federal services can help rebuild public trust in government.

We helped federal leaders develop the skills and strategies to incorporate new technology into the workplace.

Our AI Federal Leadership Program—conducted in partnership with a consortium of private sector stakeholders—trains high-performing members of the Senior Executive Service to better understand the application and implications of AI and other emerging technologies on their work and workforce.

Across the three program cycles thus far, we have worked with 96 government leaders who collectively lead more than 660,000 employees and oversee budgets totaling approximately $1.52 trillion. The program aims to help create a community of senior leaders who deploy new technologies to transform agency operations.

We highlighted recommendations, management lessons and success stories designed to help agencies develop innovative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Resilient: Keeping Your Wits—Workforce, Innovation, Technology, Security—About You”

Findings from our survey of more than 300 federal leaders about the lessons they learned over the course of the pandemic.

“Bright Spots: Federal Success Stories from the COVID-19 Pandemic”

An in-depth look how six federal agencies forged innovative solutions to the pandemic.

“Retracing Steps: Reflecting on Management Lessons in Public Health Data Infrastructure During COVID-19”

Case studies that highlight how federal, state and nonprofit leaders and agencies addressed public health data infrastructure challenges during the pandemic.

Highlight from our history

2019
First annual “Government for the People” report released. The report offers the most comprehensive analysis of the federal customer experience and provides a roadmap for federal leaders and agencies to anticipate and meet the public’s diverse needs.

Research, Evaluation and Modernizing Government

Research is at the core of how we design our programming, engage with federal leaders, advocate for new policy solutions and identify issues that affect government’s ability to solve problems and serve the public.

In 2021, we provided government with the insights it needs to respond to the challenges of our time and those to come. Our more than 25 research publications—many of which are featured throughout this report—cover topics ranging from reforming the presidential appointment process to public-private talent exchanges.

This year, we will continue to provide data and insights to help federal leaders. Our research priorities include:

  • Launching a first-of-its-kind initiative to understand key trends in federal leadership using data from our 360 assessment.
  • Building interactive, digital agency performance dashboards.
  • Sharing key findings from our extensive research on public trust in government.

To learn more, explore our publication library and read our research highlights presented in this report.

Looking Ahead

In 2022, we will develop research and programs that build a culture of innovation and experimentation in government. In addition to evolving our innovation and technology convenings, we will launch and begin to implement a new Modernizing Government strategy, a comprehensive approach to transforming federal information technology, and work to refine Partnership programs with technology content and insights. Our training opportunities will also help federal leaders adopt innovative practice and emerging technologies that improve agency operations and service delivery.

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Congress

A healthy, well-functioning Congress is vital to our nation and to our democracy. However, ongoing political differences and decreased public trust in government—and the legislative branch, more specifically—have placed tremendous strain on Congress and the people who work there.

These realities demand that we rebuild the capacity of Congress to work effectively and meet the diverse needs of the people of our country.

Our Work

The Partnership champions legislation to improve government management and operations. We also work with Congress as an institution, seek to improve the relationship between Congress and the executive branch, and provide data and insights to help Congress in its oversight role.

Supporting a More Effective Congress: Our 2021 Impact

140+

More than 140 Capitol Hill meetings held on legislative and executive branch issues.

130

130 congressional staff members and members of Congress engaged.

245

245 reports or white papers distributed to congressional stakeholders.

12

12 testimonies delivered before congressional committees—a record number for our organization.

In response to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, we launched a microsite, CapitolStrong.org, on behalf of a coalition of civil society organizations working to support Congress and congressional staff.

During the year, CapitolStrong shared resources, hosted virtual events and served as a central hub to share information about the needs and experiences of those who were impacted by the attack.

We launched the Alliance for Congress—an initiative to improve the way Congress works so that it can better meets the country’s needs and interests.

“Serving the People: Congressional Staff Perspectives”

The Alliance’s first report highlights how Capitol Hill staff view the health of Congress and continue to work effectively for the public good.

“Serving the People: Investing in Congressional Capacity”

In November, the Alliance organized a virtual event featuring current and former House members and congressional staff. They discussed the ongoing efforts to modernize Congress and address the institutional challenges that keep our legislative branch from best serving the people.

Looking Ahead

In 2022, we will work on several process reforms, including reducing the number of Senate-confirmed positions, streamlining the nomination and confirmation process, promoting transparency for political appointees, and strengthening the rules related to acting officials who temporarily fill vacant appointment roles.

We will also champion the passage of new federal customer experience legislation and encourage Congress to enact proposals related to improving the hiring and recruitment process. Finally, we will share a new communications strategy aimed at improving public trust in Congress with our partners and a wide external audience.

Highlight from our history

2003
Congress enacts into law the Partnership’s recommendation that agencies conduct an annual employee survey. Administered by the Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is the government’s main tool to measure job and workplace satisfaction within the federal workforce.

Roadmap for Renewing Our Federal Government

Our recommendations for the administrative and legislative reforms needed for a better government.

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Presidential Transition

A presidential transition is the largest, most complicated and most important takeover of any institution in history. New presidents must plan a multitrillion dollar budget, make roughly 4,000 political appointments and oversee a workforce of 2 million federal civilian employees. In addition, incumbent presidents need to address turnover in the Cabinet and other leadership positions, plan second-term policy agendas, and outline key program and management improvements.

But the 2020-2021 transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden was the toughest in modern history.

Amid a global pandemic, a nationwide reckoning on race and continued economic turmoil, a delay in ascertainment—the formal recognition of the apparent election winner by the General Services Administration—hindered the official transition process and prevented the Biden team from accessing critical resources.

These tumultuous events were followed by a violent insurrection against Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 as it met to officially certify Biden as the winner. The new president took office on Jan. 20, but these disruptions threatened to undermine the peaceful transfer of power—a core tenet of our democracy.

Our Work

During this difficult time, the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition® played a key role in helping to organize an effective transition process and preparing the Biden administration to govern on day one.

Advisory Board

  • Josh Bolten
    Former chief of staff to President George W. Bush
  • Edward “Ted” Kaufman
    Former U.S. senator
    Former chair of the Biden-Harris Transition
  • Michael Leavitt
    Former governor of Utah
    Former chair of the Romney Readiness Project
  • Thomas “Mack” McLarty
    Former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton
  • Penny Pritzker
    Former secretary of the Department of Commerce

“I cannot imagine doing a presidential transition in a modern era without the Partnership. If a transition team itself had to assemble the information that the Partnership provides to every presidential transition, it would turn an incredibly difficult job into a complete nightmare. What the Partnership does is incredibly worthwhile.”  

—Edward “Ted” Kaufman, former chairman of the Biden Transition; former U. S. senator

We made recommendations to improve future transitions.

Our report analyzes the successes and challenges of the Trump-to-Biden transition and offers recommendations to improve future transfers of power.

“The 2020-21 Presidential Transition: Lessons Learned and Recommendations”

Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour (top left), Anne O’Connell, Adelbert H. Sweet Professor of Law at Stanford University (top right), former Gov. Chris Christie, chairman of the Trump transition team, and former Sen. Ted Kaufman, co-chair of the Biden-Harris transition team, at our “Lessons Learned” report release event.

We prepared new political appointees to lead their agencies.

During the year, we continued to establish ourselves as trusted advisors with senior administration leaders. We delivered our Ready to Govern® courses—which prepare incoming appointees to succeed in their new roles—to new federal leaders and their teams. We also worked with select agencies on broader, departmentwide transformation.

We issued a plan to fix the broken confirmation process and reduce the number of Senate-confirmed positions.

Throughout the year, we kept up a steady drumbeat about the urgent need to fix a broken political appointments process that has swelled the number of vacant federal leadership positions.

Our expertise helped inform mainstream media coverage on this issue and appeared in outlets ranging from NPR and Axios to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Our Political Appointee Tracker, launched jointly with the Washington Post, is the only real-time source for political appointments data and holds the Biden administration and Senate accountable for quickly nominating and confirming key political appointees.

Looking Ahead

This year, we will provide information, advice, training and advocacy to help ensure smooth transitions, improve the appointments process and equip new political leaders for success.

Highlight from our history

2008
Senior campaign representatives, members of the outgoing Bush administration, and other agency and nonprofit leaders convene for the first transition planning conference. Similar meetings during the next three election cycles help set new standards for presidential transition planning.

Featured Report

“Looking Back: The Center for Presidential Transition’s Pivotal Role in the 2020-21 Trump to Biden Transfer of Power”
A comprehensive report that outlines how the Center helped the Biden team execute a well-planned transition—the first virtual one in U.S. history.

Featured Reports

“Unconfirmed: Why Reducing the Number of Senate-Confirmed Positions Can Make Government More Effective”
Using data from our Political Appointee Tracker, we explain why critical vacancies across government persist and offer several recommendations to streamline the appointments process for roles requiring Senate confirmation.

“Joe Biden’s First Year in Office: Nominations and Confirmations”
An extensive analysis comparing President Biden’s nomination and confirmation record with the previous three presidents. The report was featured in an exclusive story by The New York Times.

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Improving Public Understanding of and Trust in Government

Public trust in government has continued to decline in recent years. Our polling shows that only four in 10 Americans at least somewhat trust the federal government to do what is right and that about two-thirds do not believe the government listens to the public.

These trends are driven largely by negative views of members of Congress and political appointees, suggesting that the public all too often does not know about or overlooks the significant work of our country’s civil servants.

Our Work

The Partnership recognizes public servants who improve our lives for the better to rebuild public trust in government and inspire people to federal service. By shining a spotlight on government’s positive impact, we work to raise the profile of an effective government that is worthy of investment.

We continue to reach new audiences to spread this important message.

We honored, recognized and celebrated exceptional public servants. 

Last year, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals®, the preeminent awards program recognizing excellence in the federal workforce. We hosted an in-person and virtual gala, and garnered extended national and regional media coverage, recognition from a host of celebrities and agency leaders, and special remarks from President Biden.

In October, 12 medalists selected from 29 finalists and more than 350 nominations were honored at an in-person awards ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We also recognized Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder and president of Emerson Collective, as this year’s Spirit of Service award winner. The award recognizes individuals outside of government who have made significant contributions to public service.

“These awards aren’t just the ‘Oscars’ of public service, they’re a reminder that public service is noble and an impactful profession.”

—President Biden

The 2021 Sammies award winners.

A separate star-studded program recognizing the winners also aired on Bloomberg Television and Axios.com, as well as the Partnership’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages. All told, the 2021 Sammies earned 8 million earned media impressions, a 42% increase from 2020.

Read more to learn how the Sammies help public servants make an impact in government.

The 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals virtual gala.

We launched an initiative to persuade Americans of all backgrounds that government is worthy of their high expectations and engagement.

In April 2021, we began to conduct public opinion research on public trust in government. We organized focus groups, developed a nationally representative survey and issued a report of our findings.

The findings, previewed in our Politico op-ed, indicate that highlighting stories about federal employees and the significant work of our country’s civil servants may help improve public attitudes about government.

Using these insights, we designed a communications campaign that will seek to rebuild public trust in government by promoting real stories of government at work through earned, paid and owned media channels, as well as various trusted messengers.

If we can secure the necessary funding, the next phase of this project will focus on carrying out this campaign.

We amplified “The G Word” to tell more stories about our nation’s public servants, educate the broader public about how government works and inform people about potential federal careers.

We worked closely with Higher Ground Productions, a company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama that produced “The G Word,” a new docuseries based on Michael Lewis’ book, “The Fifth Risk.” The show aims to demystify the little-known ways in which federal agencies and federal employees improve our lives and serve our nation.

Looking Ahead

The Partnership’s goal is for our federal government to be viewed as worthy of trust and investment. We strive to be a reliable and trustworthy resource for the media and the public.

On Sept. 20, 2022, we will celebrate our nation’s outstanding civil servants at the 21st edition of the Service to America Medals. The program will recognize Ford Foundation President Darren Walker as our 2022 Spirit of Service award winner. In addition to spotlighting the work of our honorees year-round, we will also continue to work toward implementing our communications campaign on rebuilding public trust in government.

Highlight from our history

2013
Service to America Medals honorees recognized at a White House reception with President Obama.

Sammies winners post for a photo with President Obama in the White House.

2021 Spirit of Service Award Winner

Laurene Powell Jobs (left), founder and president of Emerson Collective, speaks with Ruth Porat (right), senior vice president and chief financial officer, Alphabet and Google.

Special Guests at the 2021 Sammies

From left to right: Spirit of Service Award winner Laurene Powell Jobs, Reggie Watts, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Aparna Nancherla, Samantha Bee, Oscar Nuñez and Rose Byrne. Other celebrity presenters not pictured include Adam Conover, Melissa Fumero, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Sierra Teller Ornelas, Audra McDonald and Jana Schmieding.

Featured Report

“Trust in Government: A Close Look at Public Perceptions of the Federal Government and its Employees”
A report analyzing the results of our national survey on trust in government, with a focus on how people in the U.S. view federal agencies and the 2 million civil servants who work across the country.

BUILDING A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Solving federal management, operational, performance and talent challenges requires the involvement of people within and outside government and across many sectors. We invite you to join with us to build a better government and a stronger democracy.

In 2022, we relaunched our main website to make it easier for visitors to stay up to date on our solutions for a better government. Visit ourpublicservice.org to learn more.

In early 2022, the Partnership transitioned to a new office and a hybrid work environment. This setup will enable us to deliver on our mission in new and exciting ways, attract new staff and expand our reach, and deepen our impact with our federal partners. We are now offering in-person programs, but will continue to provide a virtual option to meet the needs of our customers.

Partnership Executive Vice President James-Christian Blockwood on our future strategy.

The Partnership strives to be an exemplary organization on diversity, equity and inclusion so we can attract, retain and grow talented individuals with a range of knowledge and perspectives.

By modeling DEI practices, we seek to become more effective at serving our partners in government and across the private and nonprofit sectors. In 2022, we will continue to help leaders instill DEI principles into their work, support a more inclusive federal workplace, and provide government with the tools to deliver more equitable services and meet the diverse needs of our country.

Read Our DEI Commitment Statement Visit our new DEI webpage

OUR SUPPORTERS

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the following corporations, foundations and individuals who sustain our work to build a better government and a stronger democracy.

+ Chairman's Circle ($1,000,000 and above)

Anonymous

Ford Foundation

+ Innovator's Circle ($500,000 to $999,999)

Bloomberg Philanthropies
Democracy Fund
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Microsoft
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
TDF Foundation

+ Founders' Circle ($250,000 to $499,999)

Accenture Federal Services
Anonymous
Boston Consulting Group
Ronnie F. Heyman and Family
The James Irvine Foundation
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
Schmidt Futures

+ Directors' Circle ($100,000 to $249,999)

AWS
Deloitte
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Google
Grant Thornton Public Sector
Sharon Marcil and Tom Monahan
Mastercard
Jennifer and David Millstone
New Venture Fund
Indra and Raj Nooyi
Poses Family Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Lise Strickler and Mark Gallogly
Patricia A. and George W. Wellde Jr.
Workday

+ President’s Circle ($50,000 to $99,999)

Tom and Andi Bernstein
ConantLeadership
Roberta and Steven Denning
EY
EY Foundation
Goldman Sachs Gives
Estate of Ira A. Lipman
Lockheed Martin
Maximus
McKinsey & Company
The MITRE Corporation
Penny Pritzker
Fredrick D. and Karen G. Schaufeld Family Foundation
The Volcker Alliance

+ Champions of Service ($25,000 to $49,999)

Anonymous
Citi
Cornerstone OnDemand
The Marc Haas Foundation
David J. Kappos and Leslie Kimball
Leidos
Morgan Stanley Foundation
Mario M. Morino
Daniel and Teresa Murrin
Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation
Tom Nides
Pritzker Innovation Fund
The Edward John and Patricia Rosenwald Foundation
Chad and Julie Sweet
Toni Townes-Whitley and John H. Whitley
Jim and Autumn VandeHei

+ Leadership Circle ($15,000 to $24,999)

Carahsoft Technology Corp.
Michael Herrinton
Josephine Lawrence Hopkins Foundation
Amy and Bruce Pascal
Steve and Molly Preston
Slalom
John Yochelson

+ Patrons ($5,000 to $14,999)

ANDAH Foundation
Harold and Stephanie Bronson
Charina Endowment Fund
Adam Cohen
Nora Gardner
Meg and Bennett Goodman Family Foundation
W. Scott Gould and Michèle Flournoy
Higgins Trapnell Family Foundation, courtesy of Neal Higgins
Carl and Gail Icahn
Sally and Warren Jewell
Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation
Les L. Lyles
David Marchick
Mathematica
Robert A. and Diane J. McDonald Family Foundation
Medallia
Sabina Menschel and Bill Priestap
Leo Mullin
Sean and Laura O'Keefe
Ruth Porat
Nancy Potok
Qualtrics
Andrew and Monique Rechtschaffen
Robertson Foundation for Government
Michele K. Ross
Dan and Theresa Tangherlini
Verint
Neal Wolin and Nicole Elkon
Nathaniel Zilkha
Max Stier and Florence Pan

+ Partners in Service ($1,000 to $4,999)

Laszlo Bock
Robert Brese
Joshua Brodie
Steve Bunnell
Dr. Allan V. Burman
Lisa Capobianco
Susan A. Carr Charitable Trust
Daniel J. Chenok
Chris and Ursula Cox
Maria Druke and James-Christian Blockwood
Diana Farrell and Scott Pearson
Joel L. Fleishman
Dave Gallagher
Stephen Galvan
John Gilligan
Richard and Judy Gilmore
Vincette Goerl
Margaret Graves
Patricia Cogswell
Leonard and Fleur Harlan
Sallyanne Harper
Ralph Huber
Craig Katerberg
Karlease Kelly
Patrick Kennedy
Patricia and John Koskinen
Jenni Main
Michael Hamamjian
Jonathan McBride
Kymm McCabe
Luke McCormack
Thomas "Mack" McLarty
Essye B. Miller
John Palguta
Gloria Parker, CIO SAGE
Bob and Ellen Peck
Legacy Venture
Anne Reed
The Rich Foundation, Inc.
Steve Roberts, in honor of Cokie Roberts
Mark Rosenthal
Norman Rosenthal
Charles Rossotti
Kevin Sheekey
Kristine and John Simmons
Maureen E. Wylie

+ Donors (up to $999)

Geoff Abbott
Jonathan and Stacie Alboum
Felicia Alexander
Michelle Amante
Bruce Andrews
10 Anonymous Donors
Laura Arrington
Elda Auxiliaire
Roger Baker
Sam Beckman
Ionit Behar
Francis Beidler Foundation
Jonathan and Stacie Alboum
Don Bice
Lucas Bladen and Megan Handau
Katherine Bryan
Susan Burkhardsmeier
Scott Cameron
Campbell Consulting Solutions
Christine Carroll and David Robertson
Shannon Carroll
Michell Clark
Ellen Cleary
Mike Clow
Robert Cohen
Kenneth S. Colburn
Margot Conrad and Anne Leopold
Steve Cooper
Margaret Cotter
Michael Coughlin
Troy Cribb
Stephen Crilly
Doug Criscitello
Joan DeBoer
Loren DeJonge Schulman
Dan Durak
Troy Edgar
Kay Ely
Kathleen P. Enright
Jane Farrington
Jared Feinberg
Ron Flom
Brodi Fontenot
Mark Forman
Brett Freedman
Jahangir Alom Gain
Betty Gamez
Carlos Garza
Greg Giddens
Daniel Ginsberg
Ozzie and Gail Goren, in Honor of Norman Rosenthal
Chuck Grimes
Raja Karthikeya Gundu
John Gutman
George Hageman
Robert F. Hale
Brian Harris-Kojetin
Ruby Harvey
Cynthia Heckmann
Scott Heimlich
Diane Hill
Deborah Hirtz
Laura Holgate
Jon M. Holladay and Margo E. Erny
E. J. (“Ned”) Holland Jr.
Ella Holman
Daniel Horner
Jody L. Hudson
Jill Hyland and John Hutchins
Raymond Jacobson
Mike James
Eric Javits Family Foundation
Erik Jorgensen
Emily Kalnicky
Loretta Kalnicky
Nancy Kassop
Joseph Klimavicz
Roger Kodat
Andrew Kolstad
Caroline Krass
Sonya Kuki
Lindsay Laferriere
Jordan LaPier
Austin Laufersweiler
Nicholas Leake
Amy Lear White
Theodore LeCompte
Sofya Leonova
Richard Liw
Amali Liyanarachi
Charles Lord
Michael Lynch
Kate Machado
David Mader
Christine M. Major
Marlene Marban
Andrew Marshall
Hunter Marston
Toni Massaro
Rajive Mathur
Amiko Matsumoto Rorick and Rob Rorick
David McClure
Madeleine McCullough
Mary and Tim McManus
Jerome Medalie Charitable Gift Fund
Kathryn Medina
Maggie Moore
David Morenoff
Patrick Moulding
Craig Mullins
Colin Murphy
David Naimon
Donald Nicoll
C. J. Norvell
John O'Connell
Lourdes Olivera
Jeff O'Malley
Ellen Ormond
Howard Osborne
Brittany Parker
Alice Pifer
John Phelps
Zachary Piaker
Noel Popwell
David Powner
Mark Pruce
Sheena Pruiett
Kari Rea
Charles Reaves
Johnhenri Richardson
Daniel Ritter
Ricardo Rossy
Mark Rothacher
Jonathan Rubin
Rexon Ryu
Jeffrey S. Saltz
Dwight Sanders
Jarinete Santos
Alicia Schapire
Bonnie Rose Schulman
Andrew and Deborah Schwartz Charitable Fund
Matt Segneri
John Sepulveda
Robert Shea
Mike Sheils
Robert Shelala II
Jaclyn Sheridan
Kelly Shih
Henry Sienkiewicz
Sean Simmons
Lynn Simpson
Mary K. Smith
Valerie Smith Boyd
Felícita Solá-Carter
Joe Spillane
Richard Spires
Yaroslav Spivak
Tina Sung
Anna Taleysnik-Mehta
Steve Tarr
Julie Taylor
Vincent Tedjasaputra
Mark Valentine
Lydia Van Sant
Margaret Vandervoort
Cliff Viaud
Maureen Atkins Vollmer and Scott Vollmer
John Walker
Stephanie Waxman
David Weisbrod
Dave Wennergren
William White
Wiesenberg Donor Advised Fund
Monica Wilder
Jim Williams
Christopher Wingo
Michael Wooten
Renee Wynn
Kurt Yankaskas
Kevin Youel Page

+ Special Thanks

The support of these individuals and companies that provided the Partnership with pro bono or volunteer services has helped make the Partnership’s work possible. We gratefully acknowledge their generous support.

ACT-IAC
Axios Media
Ron Bachman
Samantha Bee
Geoff Bennett
Bloomberg Television
Kate Bolduan
Kristin Burkhalter
Morgan Butler
Rose Byrne
Meghan Chu
Jon Cohen
Adam Conover
Cravath, Swaine and Moore LLP
CyberVista
Scott Deutchman
DLA Piper
Mark Doboga
Colin Doody
Amy Entelis
Melissa Fumero
James Hohmann
Beth Kseniak
Peyton Elizabeth Lee
Caitria Mahoney
Joe Mahshie
Audra McDonald
MeriTalk
Miller Friel, PLLC
Aparna Nancherla
Oscar Nuñez
PBS World
Robin Reck
Jane Sarkin
Jana Schmeiding
Hamilton South
Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Sterne Kessler
Sierra Teller Ornelas
Alexandra Triumph
Clinton Trucks
Dana Ucciferri
Matt Ullian
Sharilyn Vera
Adrienne Warren
Reggie Watts
Jon Wolf

+ Center for Presidential Transition Advisory Board

Josh Bolten
Edward "Ted" Kaufman
Michael Leavitt
Thomas "Mack" McLarty
Penny Pritzker

+ Government Leadership Advisory Council

Thad Allen
Bernie Banks
Doug Conant
Stephen M. R. Covey
Amy Edmondson
Sally Jewell
Les L. Lyles
Robert A. McDonald
Chris Porath
Liz Wiseman

+ Partnership West Advisory Council

Caitlyn Fox
Don Howard
Michael McAfee
Amanda Renteria
Leonard D. Schaeffer
Ashley Swearengin
Laney Whitcanack

+ Cybersecurity Talent Initiative Executive Advisory Council

Ellen Ambrosini
Angela Bailey
Denise Biaggi-Ayer
Jennifer Buckner
Karissa Calvo
Josh DeFigueiredo
Sheronda Dorsey
Brian Fielder
Zev Goldrich
Ron Green
Elias Hernandez
Beau Houser
Wenchun Jiang
Jeffrey D. Johnson
Rachel Lange
Tonya Manning
Alexander Niejelow
Alec Palmer
Douglas Perry
Simone Petrella
Greg Sisson
Robert Tagalicod
Col. Dianna Terpin
Jeanne Tisinger
Sharon Wong

+ Strategic Advisors to Government Executives (SAGE)

Jonathan Alboum
Bruce Andrews
Napoleon Avery
Beverly Babers
Frank Baitman
Roger Baker
Alan Balutis
Jeremy Bash
Donald Bice
Laurel Blatchford
Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
Rafael Borras
Robert Brese
Claire Buchan Parker
Jeri Buchholz
Allan Burman
Robert Burton
L. Reynolds Cahoon
Scott Cameron
Roger Campbell
Michael Carleton
Daniel Chenok
Michell Clark
Patricia Cogswell
Miriam Cohen
Casey Coleman
Nani Coloretti
Rebecca Contreras
Steven Cooper
Douglas Criscitello
Chris Cummiskey
Linda Cureton
Melinda Darby
Joan DeBoer
Mark Doboga
Troy Edgar
Kay Ely
Karen Evans
Michael Fischetti
Michèle Flournoy
Brodi Fontenot
Mark Forman
Mike French
Stephen Galvan
Ventris Gibson
Gregory Giddens
John Gilligan
Richard Ginman
Daniel Ginsberg
Vincette Goerl
Claire Grady
W. Todd Grams
David Grant
Margaret Graves
Chuck Grimes
Robert Hale
Krysta Harden
Sallyanne Harper
Ruby Harvey
Cynthia Heckmann
Vance Hitch
Ira Hobbs
Jon Holladay
Ned Holland
Michael Howell
Myra Howze Shiplett
Jody Hudson
Karlease Kelly
Steve Kelman
Patrick Kennedy
Gwen Keyes Fleming
Joe Klimavicz
Roger Kodat
Joseph Kull
Peter Levin
Shoshana Lew
Gail Lovelace
David Mader
Jennifer Main
Christine Major
John Marshall
Rajive Mathur
Kimberly McCabe
David McClure
Luke McCormack
Diann McCoy
Beth McGrath
Edward Meagher
Kathryn Medina
Essye Miller
William "Billy" Milton
Daniel Mintz
Jeffrey Neal
Molly O'Neill
Howard Osborne
Krista Paquin
Gloria Parker
Bob Perciasepe
John Phelps
John Porcari
Nancy Potok
Pamela Powers
David Powner
Scott Quehl
Anne Reed
Christine Rider
Gale Rossides
Anne Rung
Rexon Ryu
Ronald Sanders
Tony Scardino
Pat Schambach
Lisa Schlosser
John Sepulveda
Robert Shea
Henry Sienkiewicz
Lynn Simpson
John Sindelar
Felícita Sola-Carter
Stan Soloway
Richard Spires
Harold "Hal" Steinberg
Jeff Steinhoff
Jeff T. H. Pon
Pasquale "Pat" Tamburrino
Daniel Tangherlini
James Taylor
Peter Tseronis
Kathleen Turco
Emma Vadehra
Alan Wade
Mark Weatherly
Margaret Weichert
Reginald Wells
David Wennergren
Danny Werfel
Frontis Wiggins
Jerry Williams
Jim Williams
Karen Wilson
Michael Wooten
Maureen Wylie
Renee Wynn
Kevin Youel Page

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of contributions received from January 1 through December 31, 2021. Kindly inform the development office at ccarroll@ourpublicservice.org or 202-464-5387 of any oversights or inaccuracies.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Statements of Financial Position Statements of Activities

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

As of June 2, 2022

Tom A. Bernstein
Chairman, Partnership for Public Service
President, Chelsea Piers Management, Inc.

Douglas R. Conant
Founder and CEO, ConantLeadership
Former CEO and President, Campbell Soup Company

Joel L. Fleishman
Professor of Law and Director, Heyman Center for Ethics, Public Policy, and the Professions, Duke University

Nora Gardner
Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

W. Scott Gould
CEO, Mountain Lakes Associates, LLC

David J. Kappos
Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Lester Lyles
Former Chairman of the Board, USAA
Retired General, United States Air Force
Former Vice Chief of Staff, United States Air Force

Sharon Marcil
Managing Director and Senior Partner, North America Chair, Boston Consulting Group

Jennifer Millstone

Indra K. Nooyi
Former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo

Sean O’Keefe
University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University

Dina Powell McCormick
Global Head of Sustainability and Inclusive Growth, Goldman Sachs

Steven C. Preston
President and CEO, Goodwill Industries International, Inc. 

Kevin Sheekey
Global Head of External Relations, Bloomberg LP

Max Stier
President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service

Dan Tangherlini
Managing Director, The Emerson Collective

Toni Townes-Whitley
Digital Leadership, Social Impact, Tech Innovation

Jim VandeHei
Co-founder and CEO, Axios

George W. Wellde, Jr.
Former Vice Chairman, Securities Division, Goldman Sachs & Company

Neal S. Wolin
CEO, Brunswick Group

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Full Report
Welcome Letter
Financial Statements

Header photos credit: Shutterstock, National Park Service/Emily Hassell, Andrea Starr/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Architect of the Capitol, André Josué Anchecta Oseguera/U.S. Agency for International Development