Federal Eye: Suggested Questions for Arne Duncan

Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan hopes to serve as the nation’s next education secretary, but first he has to win the approval of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He’s never been a teacher or principal, but has won positive reviews for his reform of the Windy City’s education system. The General AccountabilityRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Suggested Questions for Hillary Clinton

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today for what’s expected to be an easy confirmation hearing. Department of State While Clinton is likely to face questions about the Mideast conflict, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and maybe even her husband’s charitable work, the General Accountability Office recommends lawmakersRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Suggested Questions for Steven Chu

President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for energy secretary, Dr. Steven Chu appears before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today for his confirmation hearing. Department of Energy The next energy secretary faces several challenges, including determining how to fill the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve, developing renewable energy sources and assessing nonproliferation efforts, according to aRead… Read more »

Performance Plus and Social media

We had a great performance management event last Friday, sponsored by the IDeA and the Local Authority Research Councils Initiative. There was a great line-up of speakers who covered everything from the academic theoretical side of performance management to the nuts and bolts of systems thinking to rubbish collection and disposal in Northern Ireland. ThisRead… Read more »

TechPresident write-up on GovLoop

I just posted a feature on Steve Ressler and GovLoop here: http://www.techpresident.com/blog/entry/33549/govloop_a_social_network_for_public_servants It starts: Are you a local elected official looking for advice from your peers on how to make better use of web technologies to relate to your constituents? Or perhaps you’re a government IT specialist looking for support in your battles with footdraggingRead… Read more »

Lessons From My Childhood – S.P.U.D.

By almost any measure, I had a very typical ’70s childhood. We lived in a young subdivision, explored everything, got in big trouble, suffered injuries, had divorced parents and viewed the world with an overarching sense of wonder and opportunity. We were a very creative group of kids, and since our parents weren’t wealthy weRead… Read more »