Building Community Expertise

The Public Manager constantly seeks opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships with organizations, particularly where there are opportunities to promote common long-term objectives to enhance the professional knowledge and expertise of public service professionals.  We share the view with many that public service remains one of the noblest of callings and are committed to ensuring that our leaders are well prepared.  In recognition of those who share our desire to further knowledge, promote best practices, and inspire management excellence at all levels of government, we highlight below a compendium of organizations that we would like to recognize for their tremendous work.  We also encourage you to partake of the tremendous range of resources provided by each.

 

The American Academy of Certified Public Managers (AACPM) is an association of public sector managers who have earned the designation of Certified Public Manager® (CPM) through a management program accredited by the National Certified Manager Consortium. The purpose of the Academy is to unite CPMs to encourage the acceptance of management in government as a profession established upon an underlying body of knowledge; to promote high professional, educational, and ethical standards in public management; to improve communication, cooperation, and coordination among public entities; to foster leadership through example and innovation; and to facilitate positive changes which enhance the delivery of public service.

 

The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), founded in 1939, advocates greater effectiveness in government by promoting change at the local, national, and international levels. Its membership includes public administration professionals, scholars, and practitioners. The National Capital Area Chapter of ASPA created The Bureaucrat journal, the predecessor of The Public Manager. The Public Manager owes its existence to ASPA.

 

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence helps state and local governments become knowledgeable and competitive employers so they can attract and retain a skilled and committed workforce. It connects state and local government leaders with respected researchers and translates serious research into action-oriented analysis, recommendations, and tools for policy leaders, practitioners, and the public.

 

The Coalition for Effective Change (CEC) was formed in 1993 as a nonpartisan alliance of associations representing current and retired federal managers, executives, and professionals. CEC provides a channel for these public employees to contribute to the success of reinventing government. CEC meets with the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to discuss efforts to improve government. It shares information with Congress and works with others on initiatives for government-wide change. Members of t he CEC occasionally refer or contribute articles to The Public Manager.

 

The Council for Excellence in Government (CEG) works to improve the performance of government at all levels and the government's place in the lives and esteem of American citizens. Its experienced staff, network of experts and members, and diverse partners help create stronger public-sector leadership and management, driven by innovation and focused on results. The CEG increases citizen confidence and participation in government by fostering a better understanding of government and its role. Founded in 1982, the organization is nonpartisan, nonprofit, and national in scope. The CEG frequently refers or contributes articles to The Public Manager.

 

The DC Society of Certified Public Managers, a member of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers (AACPM), exists to promote excellence in public management in the District of Columbia.  Its objectives include promoting management in government as a profession, facilitating positive changes that improve the delivery of public service and services, upholding the public trust, providing services consistent with quality management practices, encouraging fellowship and cooperation in public service, conducting research and investigating public management issues, and providing opportunities for professional growth and development for all employees.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration Managers Association (FAAMA) represents the interests of all levels of management in the FAA’s line of business. The FAAMA promotes excellence in public service; promotes aviation safety and efficiency; fosters the communication of information, ideas, and opinions; emphasizes and improves managerial effectiveness; provides professional development, publications, and networking; and provides active representation of members’ interests and concerns through effective advocacy.

 

The Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville, Virginia, is one of the federal government's premier development centers for senior executives. FEI was established by Presidential Order in l968, and is operated by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. FEI brings high performance executives together to develop broad corporate viewpoints, understand their roles, and enhance essential management skills.  FEI's award winning curriculum addresses broad perspectives essential to effective performance, focusing on values-based leadership, policy in a constitutional system, global perspectives, and organizational transformation.

 

The Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA) is the exclusive network of graduates of residential programs of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville, Virginia, the federal government's premier executive development center. With a membership of approximately 2,100, FEIAA's main goals are to support and strengthen the FEI, to provide executive development opportunities for its members, to promote excellence in the public service, and to represent the views and interests of its members. FEIAA members receive The Public Manager as a benefit of membership.

 

The Federal Managers Association (FMA) represents the interests of the nearly 200,000 federal government managers, supervisors, and executives. FMA advances its mission through consultation in the executive branch and advocacy in Congress, top-notch professional development programs, and informative publications for networking among its members. The Public Manager publishes articles of interest to PMA members.

 

The Graduate School, USDA. offers career-related and continuing education courses to professionals and federal, state, and local employees throughout the country. The school annually enrolls 200,000 students in nearly 1,000 courses, available in a variety of subjects and convenient formats. Established in 1921 by the secretary of agriculture, its mission is to improve the performance of government and to provide opportunities for individual lifelong learning through education, training, and related services. The Graduate School, USDA is represented on The Public Manager board of directors, and the faculty and staff frequently contribute articles.

 

The Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI) at American University is dedicated to the premise that the success of public policy resides primarily in how well it is implemented. That success rests in large part on the cooperation and collaboration among key stakeholders in the public policy process. The Institute’s Leadership Forum is dedicated to identifying difficult public policy implementation issues and creating solutions by facilitating dialogue among stakeholders. The Institute also conducts research on employee engagement in the federal government, and in cooperation with the Partnership for Public Service, publishes the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings. Finally, the Institute collaborates with the Key Executive Leadership Certificate Program to offer a Certificate in Leadership for Public Policy Implementation, providing federal managers with the increased leadership capacity they need to build the skills necessary to implement public policy more effectively.

 

The International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) is an organization that represents the interests of human resource professionals at the federal, state and local levels of government—providing leadership and advocacy, professional development, information, and services to enhance organizational and individual performance in the public sector. Since 1906, the Association has grown in size and stature throughout the world and is today recognized as the professional representative of public human resource managers from all levels of government. The Association is divided into four Regions, which are made up of the Association's Chapters, as well as non-Chapter members residing within the Regional boundaries. There are also two professional Sections, each providing information and training on specific areas of the human resource management field.

 

The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonpartisan organization chartered by Congress to assist federal, state, and local governments in improving their effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. The Academy's most distinctive feature is its membership of 550 fellows. They include current and former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, diplomats, business executives, local public managers, foundation executives, and scholars. The Academy frequently contributes articles of interest for publication in The Public Manager.

 

The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) is an institutional membership organization which exists to promote excellence in public service education.  NASPAA’s twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service.  NASPAA is the membership association of graduate programs in public administration, public policy, and public affairs.  NASPAA’s Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation is the specialized accreditor of these master degree programs.

 

The National Center for Public Sector Innovation (NCPSI) is a new, evolving organization created in 2006.  The mission of the NCPSI is to identify, catalog, share and provide developmental instruction to advance the common good realized by quality public/private non-profit sector innovations.  Created to fill a void in currently available information, the NCPSI is designed to provide answers to questions like:  Where can I go for information about innovative public sector programs and services? Who can I ask about seminars or workshops on public sector innovation? What examples of public sector innovation are out there to learn from?  How can I get assistance in developing my own public sector innovation - especially from someone who has real life experience?  When is the best time to venture forward with a new public sector innovation?

 

The Partnership for Public Service (PPS) works to make the government an employer of choice for talented, dedicated Americans through educational outreach, research, legislative advocacy, and hands-on partnerships with agencies on workforce management issues. The PPS frequently refers or contributes articles to The Public Manager.

 

The Professional Managers Association (PMA), formed in 1981 by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) managers, is a national membership association representing the interests of professional managers, management officials, and non-bargaining unit employees in the federal government. The Public Manager publishes articles of interest to PMA members.

 

The Public Employees Roundtable (PER) at the Council for Excellence in Government is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of organizations representing nearly 2 million public employees. The PER works to inform citizens about the quality of people in government and the value of the services they provide, to encourage excellence and esprit de corps in government, and to promote interest in public-service careers. It hosts the annual Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), held the first week in May in cities and towns across the country. The Public Manager is represented on the PER board of directors and publicizes PER activities and events.

 

The Senior Executives Association (SEA) is a nonprofit professional association that promotes ethical and dynamic public service by fostering an outstanding career executive corps, advocates the interests of career federal executives (active and retired), and provides information and services to SEA members. SEA members periodically contribute articles to The Public Manager.

 

The Young Government Leaders, is a professional organization of young men and women employed by the federal government. This organization advocates for the unique needs of young government employees and provides value, structure, resources, and a voice to the next generation of Federal Government employees. The membership consists of hundreds of young government leaders that represent over 30 different departments and agencies. The YGL mission is to educate, inspire, and transform the future leaders of the Federal Government through professional development activities, networking opportunities, social events and seminars.

 

The Virginia Review, Begun in 1923, the Virginia Review is a nonpolitical, independent, professional journal for Virginia state and local government officials. It is dedicated to the pursuit of best management and operational practice in every area of state and local government. The Virginia Review is published bimonthly, providing information on contemporary trends in real life situations existing in the Commonwealth. Its contributors are volunteer practitioners and government officials with valuable and unique experience to share. Editorial contributions are selected solely for the value of the contribution. The Virginia Review provides a unique opportunity to share information among individuals in the government community as well as those interested in dealing with them.