State of Immigration Reform in the States

In the past year, state policymakers and Congress introduced nearly one thousand bills dealing with immigration. These bills cover a range of issues, from suspending deportations of legalization-eligible youth to proposing STEM green card programs for the employment of highly-skilled foreign workers in the information technology industry. Caving to pressure from the Democratic party, PresidentRead… Read more »

3 Business Lessons from the Batting Cage

Learning how to succeed in business can come from a variety of diverse sources. It may include mentors, managers and multiple teams of staffers that you meet during your career. Inspiration for solid business practices may also result from other life experiences, including sports. The three business lessons I learned from the batting cage coverRead… Read more »

How Much is That…

…doggy in the window (arf! arf!) The one with the waggley tail (you’ll be humming that for the remainder of the day now, won’t you). Our focus in this post, though, is not on cuddly canines, rather it’s on the value of public services. Unlike private service whose value is often determined by whether theyRead… Read more »

Big Data Analytics for Effective Financial Market Oversight: 3 Essential Ingredients

Over the past few months, I have co-hosted Conversations on Big Data, a series of discussions about using analytics in creative and interesting ways. Today’s Conversation is with Lori Walsh, the Chief of the Center for Risk and Quantitative Analytics (the Center) for the Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Enforcement. The SEC has severalRead… Read more »

Applying Analytics to Continuous Process Improvement

Conversations on Big Data is a series of discussions with executive-level leaders about using big data analytics in creative and interesting ways to improve business outcomes. Today’s Conversation is with Gerald Ray, the Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Appellate Operations (Appellate Ops) at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Appellate Ops manages cases whereRead… Read more »

Rugby at Work?

My life-long mentor and former rugby coach, Gordon Campbell, once stressed the importance of controlled aggression.  I swear one day I will write a book entitled, Life’s Lessons from a Rugby Pitch.  Rugby is a game of elegant violence.  The adage is that although soccer is a gentlemen’s game played by hooligans, rugby is aRead… Read more »