Posts By Olivia Jefferson

How to Spark Innovation at Your Agency

Quick, be creative! For most people, this is a tall order. Thinking creatively on-demand is not an easy task; in fact, it can be outright intimidating. But, according to four experts in the field, it’s also probably not a necessary one for innovation. Results from OPM’s 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey indicated that nearly 91Read… Read more »

Open Possibilities with Open Data

Sometimes it’s not the destination, but the journey that truly counts. That’s the philosophy some of the government’s best and brightest are adopting with open data programs. Open data is not just a single solution, but a path to solving the plethora of problems government faces now and will face in the future. Open dataRead… Read more »

Sustaining the Global Community

Each day, most of us will turn on our stove at some point or another to cook food. What we normally wouldn’t think about is how advanced this appliance is compared to others around the world. Whether our stoves are gas or electric, most cooking appliances in the western world are far more efficient andRead… Read more »

Transforming Gov with Transparency

Meet Laila Alequresh, one of our esteemed NextGen Public Service Award finalists. As Director of Performance Management for the City of Philadelphia, Alequresh has improved the lives of Philadelphia’s 1.5 million residents by opening up several channels of communication to make the city government more efficient and responsive to citizens’ needs.

Making Dreams a Reality

Meet Mihir Pathak, one of our NextGen Courageous Champion Service Award finalists. As a Presidential Management Fellow, Pathak has taken on important roles at both the White House and NASA. Drawing on his background and education for inspiration, Pathak has worked to increase the diversity of the federal workforce and fund space programs.

Public Service in the 21st Century

With technology advancing as quickly as it is these days, it can sometimes be hard to keep up. New phones, apps, software, and social media seem to pop up every day. Even though this constant stream of innovation is intended to make all of our lives easier, new technology can also present unprecedented challenges toRead… Read more »

3 Steps to Be a Good Government Leader

Are you happy with your boss? Do you feel appreciated for your contributions? How satisfied are you with your work environment? Your answer to those questions will probably vary somewhat based on your position in the workforce. However, if you’re in the public sector, your responses may be drastically different from your boss’s. Each year,Read… Read more »

Mapping Molecules to Fight Cancer

In 2015, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be over 1.6 million new cancer diagnoses. While individual prospects of survival have drastically improved over the past decade, there’s still much more for doctors to learn about the disease. Generalized treatments for a variety of cancers have had mild success, but scientists and doctorsRead… Read more »

Riding Mobility’s Third Wave

Ever wished you could do your work from your own iPad instead of a work computer? Or wanted to get an electronic signature instead of filing hard paperwork? Maybe even send inspection reports remotely from your phone or tablet? If you’re in the private sector, these sorts of workplace mobility functions are likely old newsRead… Read more »

Government By Design – Innovations at the DoD

Meet Josh Marcuse, a finalist for the NextGen Courageous Champion Award. As a Senior Advisor for Policy Innovation at the Department of Defense, Marcuse blends nonprofit mission committment with private sector innovation to make government more effective. Applying principles of human-centered design, Marcuse is fostering creativity and collaboration across the public sector.