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Partnership for Public Service statement on the confirmation of Doug Burgum as secretary of the Department of the Interior 

January 31, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier after former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of the Department of the Interior. 

“The Partnership for Public Service congratulates former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on his confirmation as secretary of the Department of the Interior where he will play a critical role protecting and managing the nation’s public lands as well as honoring commitments to American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians and affiliated communities. 

Stier continued, “We are encouraged by Secretary Burgum’s comments during his confirmation process that he will bring his experiences and lessons learned as North Dakota governor to the leadership of the tens of thousands of dedicated professionals within Interior. Fully engaging, motivating and relying on the expertise of the career workforce will be critical for the secretary to successfully fulfill the department’s important mission.” 

The Partnership’s Department of the Interior agency performance dashboard provides insights about the department’s operations and workforce. Some key data points include:   

  • 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government score and rank: 68.3 out of 100, ranking 8 out of 17 large agencies    
  • Effective Leadership Score: 69.8 out of 100, ranking 11 out of 17 large agencies     
  • Number of Senate-confirmed positions: 18   

The Partnership also produces and maintains several resources to assess and analyze the health of the federal government, including a political appointments tracker with The Washington Post that follows the progress of roughly 800 of President Trump’s Senate-confirmed positions. The annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings measure employee engagement government-wide as well as at individual departments, agencies and subcomponents. Additionally, our Vision for a Better Government provides areas of focus for management reforms.  

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.      

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.          

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