A Fed Makes the List of the Most Creative People – Plus the 7 Gov Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, much of the focus in the transportation world was on securing the nation’s airports. But what about the other access points across the country? How secure were America’s many ports? It was that question Anthony Regalbuto, Chief, Office of International and Domestic Port Security, set about answering. We talk with the Service to America Medal finalist.

You can find all of our programs online: DorobekINSIDER.com and GovLoop Insights at http://insights.govloop.com.

But up front: A fed makes a list of most creative people.

It is exciting to see a fed on FastCompany’s list of the Most Creative People 2014 list — specifically, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx:

For (finally!) modernizing how we get from here to there.

Anthony Foxx ­persuaded the FAA to ditch electronic-device restrictions and ushered through DOT approval of collision-preventing vehicle-to-vehicle communication. He streamlined the environmental-impact review process to reduce approval time on infrastructure projects. And in February, he launched a public call for new apps and solutions based on the agency’s data. “Part of seeding ideas in government and creating a culture of innovation,” he says, “is giving everybody the rope to be creative and come back with different answers.”

Congratulations!

As we head into the weekend, news — or should I say “news” — from Foreign Policy magazine that the Pentagon has a plan to fight the zombie apocalypse. Yes, for real…

Exclusive: Pentagon Has a Plan to Stop the Zombie Apocalypse. Seriously [Foreign Policy] the Defense Department has a response if zombies attacked and the armed forces had to eradicate flesh-eating walkers in order to “preserve the sanctity of human life” among all the “non-zombie humans.” Buried on the military’s secret computer network is an unclassified document, obtained by Foreign Policy, called “CONOP 8888.” It’s a zombie survival plan, a how-to guide for military planners trying to isolate the threat from a menu of the undead — from chicken zombies to vegetarian zombies and even “evil magic zombies” — and destroy them. [HT CBS This Morning]

Coincidently, Verge reports that the Air Force discusses how it would respond to Godzilla.

We can only hope that there is some collaboration in these efforts.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. Federal News Radio: Concerns over quality continue to plague OPM’s background investigations – “In the first few years after 9/11, clearance seekers waited, on average, more than a year to have their background investigations completed because of longstanding bottlenecks in the small Defense Department agency responsible for conducting them. As outrage boiled over on Capitol Hill, Congress and the White House decided to consolidate the management of security-clearance investigations under one agency’s roof: the Office of Personnel Management. Since then, OPM has made significant progress fast-tracking the process for first- time clearance seekers. But potential missed red flags in the backgrounds of National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis have cast doubt on the quality of the background checks performed by OPM and its contractors.”

2. Reuters: Obama assigns deputy chief of staff to Veterans Affairs review – “President Barack Obama is dispatching his deputy chief of staff, Rob Nabors, to help oversee a review of the Department of Veterans Affairs as anger grows over evidence that veterans died while waiting for care. Obama, through his spokesman, has voiced his confidence in Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki repeatedly, but the retired four star general has faced calls for his resignation following reports that up to 40 veterans died while waiting for appointments or specialist care at a VA hospital in Phoenix.”

   1. Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on veteran health care

3. Federal Times: Air Force: More than 20 percent HQ staff cuts in one year – “The Air Force intends to cut more than 20 percent of its headquarters staffs within a year as part of an overall downsizing effort, according to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. James said the move responds to a directive issued last summer by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that all military services trim their headquarters staffs by 20 percent over five years by 2019.”

4. GovExec: Three New Bills That Could Change Feds’ Benefits – “House lawmakers have been busy lately. Elections are coming up and representatives are looking for avenues to promote popular ideas they can then flout on the campaign trail. Here are some recent bills lower chamber members have pitched that affect federal employee benefits, both those in the executive and legislative branches.”

5. Federal Computer Week: FBI in the market for bad software – “As part of its work in providing technical analysis of malicious software and hacking methods, the FBI is looking for a commercial supplier of malware. The solicitation specifies a malware feed updated daily of 30 to 40 gigabytes a day in unique malware and variants on old attacks, retrievable through machine-to-machine communication. The feed will be pulled in by the FBI, not pushed into its systems. ”

6. Federal News Radio: Treasury CIO East to retire in June – “Add the Treasury Department’s chief information officer to what seems to be the ever growing list of departures. Robyn East confirmed she is leaving the government in mid-June after three years of service.”

7. GovExec: Federal Vehicles Will Be Guinea Pigs for New Safety Devices – “In a joint announcement Tuesday, the General Services Administration and the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said they would begin evaluating safety devices on all federally leased vehicles and create a pilot research program to identify promising new safety technologies. The memorandum of understanding also includes plans to coordinate between the agencies to share information on potential defects; ensure that vehicles recalled by their manufacturer are repaired properly and promptly; and incorporate current understanding of safety technology into governmentwide policy affecting the fleet.”

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder… yes, we’re trying to help you make your water-cooler time better too…

• The Business Case for Investing in Talent [Stanford Social Innovation Review] Every dollar invested in employee development yields more efficient and effective impact.

• Citizen Engagement and City Budgets [iGovernment] Inviting public comment early in a city’s budget process, in multiple ways, is closely associated with better performance outcomes, says a new study in The American Review of Public Administration.

• Introducing the 21st-Century City Hall [Government Technology]: New platforms are transforming the idea of civic duty and reinventing how citizens engage with government. Government Technology profiles five tools: Neighborland – a new way to rally residents; Textizen – an easier way to give opinions (profiled by GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER in June 2013: Meet Textizen — A new way to get citizen feedback in the digital age); Vorotheads – early warning on important issues; CommunityPlanit – a game with real-world results; Open Town Hall – letting cooler heads prevail. CDorobek would also add Thunderclap, which allows you amplify your message.