Jacqueline A. Berrien has been the chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since April 2010. A Harvard Law School graduate, Berrien practiced civil rights law for many years, assisted underrepresented groups as a program officer for the Ford Foundation, and came to the EEOC from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,Read… Read more »
Alfonso Batres has spent nearly three decades working with the community-based Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Readjustment Counseling Vet Centers, starting in the field offices and heading the national program since 1994. The program, which provides counseling, family services, job assistance, medical and benefit referrals, has expanded from 200 to 300 centers in the lastRead… Read more »
Later this year, Tom Cruise will be starring in his fourth Mission: Impossible movie about a fictional federal agent saving the world from all sorts of extraordinary threats. While I love an action movie as much as the next guy, the real-life federal employees tackling our country’s seemingly impossible missions are deserving of their ownRead… Read more »
How can young leaders provide more support to their agencies without being in senior-level management positions? –Federal Supervisors (GS-14), Environmental Protection Agency This question reflects the can-do attitude and energetic approach that we need in government. Here’s the good news. Smart, senior leaders will be looking for people like you given the ever-expanding mission demands,Read… Read more »
Susan Tsui Grundmann is the chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an independent, quasi-judicial agency that protects the federal merit systems and promotes government-wide merit system principles. Grundmann previously served as general counsel to the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union which represents 100,000 federal workers nationwide. How difficult was it toRead… Read more »
The average age of my agency’s employees is high. With retirements increasing, we will need to recruit and hire younger employees. What is the recruiting pitch that will appeal to younger employees? How do you entice them to join your agency? – Federal Manager (GS-15), Department of Veterans Affairs This is a great question. RecruitingRead… Read more »
As he headed off on vacation to Martha’s Vineyard with his family last week, President Obama was criticized by political opponents and pundits for taking time off with the economy in such precarious shape and so many people on the unemployment line. While we may want our leaders – we may even want ourselves –Read… Read more »
Michele M. Leonhart, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has spent more than 30 years in law enforcement. As a DEA special agent, she commanded the Los Angeles Field Division, one of DEA’s largest field divisions; served in San Francisco, where she became the first woman within DEA promoted to the position of specialRead… Read more »
Laurel A. Blatchford, chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since 2009, previously worked for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg first at City Hall and then at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). During her time in city government, Blatchford worked with agenciesRead… Read more »
Any day now, my wife and I are expecting our third child. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a baby, and we’re trying to remember the keys to successfully dealing with an infant. My wife, being much smarter and with a much better memory, remembers all of the “dos” and “don’ts.” I, on the otherRead… Read more »