Leading Innovation for the Federal Government since High School

Meet Susanna Marking, a NextGen Innovator Award finalist. Marking has been a go-getter from the beginning of her career in federal government, working her way through every GS level. After working for the Forest Service for seven years, Marking is proud to say she is still working in federal government as a Public Affairs Specialist… Read more »

The Changing Mission of DoD

In our recent guide, The DoD of Tomorrow, we examine how the department is changing its workforce, operations, technology, and acquisitions processes. But before we dive into how the department is changing, we should explore why it’s changing. Evolving threats, battle lines, and responsibilities are three large challenges forcing Pentagon officials to rethink their tactics. NewRead… Read more »

3 Municipal Broadband Success Stories

Over the course of 10 years, Seattle has studied the possibility of creating a municipal-run broadband network seven times, most recently this year. Although it was determined in June that the cost would be lower than expected (somewhere in the range of $463 million to $630 million), city officials again rejected the idea, citing barriersRead… Read more »

Leading the State of Louisiana with Exceptional Nutrition Plans

Meet Monica McDaniels, a NextGen Exemplary Leadership Award finalist. McDaniels, works in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office to educate mothers and children about better nutrition habits for a lifetime. WIC has 104 clinics across Louisiana where they manage approximately 127,000 families of low socioeconomic status. They provide supplemental nutrition programs where they give… Read more »

5 Takeaways from the OPM Breach Hearing

It’s highly likely that sophisticated hackers stole sensitive data from Office of Personnel Management systems containing Social Security numbers and other personal records of current and former federal employees, government officials testified on Tuesday. Although OPM has not determined the full scope of not one, but two recent hacks against its IT systems, Director KatherineRead… Read more »

You’ve Gone to a Networking Event—Now What?

Back when I was a director of communications at a nonprofit, my LinkedIn profile headline read “I schmooze for good causes.” A large part of my job was to attend events, meet people, and bring them closer to the organization and the cause it championed. I have a knack for networking. I’m a successful networker because I recognize that the mostRead… Read more »

Female Leadership: How Does the Public Sector Compare to Private?

In the recent post, I mentioned that one lady govie asked where women had it better – in the private or the public sector. In that article, we explored paid parental leave. Today, let’s talk about representation in leadership roles. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important to have your perspective included in decision-making. That doesn’tRead… Read more »