Where Do You Find Inspiration? An Interview with Marathon Finisher Harriett Thompson

Concert pianist Harriett Thompson, 92, became the oldest person to run a 26.2 mile race when she crossed the finish line at the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on May 31, 2015. She stole the record from Gladys Burill, now 97, who finished the Honolulu marathon in 2010. Burill was 92 years, 19 daysRead… Read more »

Can We Focus on What Works?

Can we shift the conversation in Washington from “waste, fraud, and abuse” to “what works and let’s fund it, instead?” Recently, I attended a Senate hearing on wasteful spending in the federal government.  Some of the witnesses pointed to examples such as the legislative requirement that the Defense Department ship coal to Germany to heatRead… Read more »

TSP Talk Weekly Wrap Up

Greece bailout talks catalyzed stocks to have a strong open on Monday, however there was an early peak and stocks closed off the highs. Tuesday opened high as well but faded into negative territory by mid-day where buyers stepped back in to reach some modest gains by the close. Wednesday opened lower and stocks continuedRead… Read more »

STEM vs Humanities: Why Both are Needed for Analytics

A national conversation is continuing to brew over whether Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills should be emphasized in schools and universities over humanities and liberal arts education. Several recent studies have found that the perceived higher marketplace value of STEM skills has led to a drop in the percentage of students pursuing humanitiesRead… Read more »

Regional Telecom Extensions Underway

Federal government agencies largely order their telecommunications through GSA’s Networx telecommunications program or through our Regional Local Service Agreements (LSAs) for local telecommunications. As announced in March, we are extending the period of performance for the Network Universal and Enterprise contracts from 2017 to 2020. We are currently working with our industry suppliers to extend theRead… Read more »

Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Local Government

There’s been a lot of attention paid lately to the 13 percent statistic: the portion of chief administrative officers in local governments that are women stands at 13 percent, roughly the same figure it was in the 1980s. It’s an important issue, and a complicated one, and I asked my colleague Jan Perkins for someRead… Read more »

How the Social Security Administration Hit A Customer Experience Trifecta With A Mobile App

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program had a problem: it was paying out way too much in unearned benefits to program participants. This was happening because participants weren’t reporting their income often enough. As participants’ incomes went up, their SSI eligibility went down – but they continued receiving SSI benefits basedRead… Read more »