The Importance of Being Global: Cultural Competence in the Public Sector

A study on trends in cultural competence focusing on healthcare policy, practice and education cites cultural competence as a strategy to improve quality of care and eliminate racial/ethnic disparities. The aim is to “develop a workforce capable of delivering high-quality care and services to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or language proficiency,” state contributorsRead… Read more »

From a Truck Stop to a Home: How to Facilitate Community Connectedness

Government agencies partner with local residents to solve community problems, design new projects, coordinate beautification efforts, and keep lines of communication open. As a longtime city employee, I have worked on many community “outreach” or “engagement” projects over the years. One conversation I had with a resident had a profound impact on my work perspective.Read… Read more »

GSA, IAE, and Transparency and Being Open

Last December, the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) team laid out our core Architectural Principles related to our goal of bringing together the government’s systems that facilitate and track federal award activities. First among those principles is the requirement that “IAE Must Be Open.” On May 13, IAE will be hosting the third in our seriesRead… Read more »

The role of women in the GIS industry

Earlier this month, Boundless sponsored a panel discussion at its new DC office on the role of women in the GIS industry and the challenges they face. They framed the discussion with the purposely provocative question: “Is your map sexist?” The panelists came from a variety of backgrounds: Nadine Alameh, of the Open Geospatial Consortium,Read… Read more »

Implementing the DATA Act: Encouraging Signs

President Obama has said he will sign new legislation that will have far-reaching effects on federal agencies and hundreds of thousands of recipient of federal funds – grantees, contractors, universities, non-profits, states, and localities. The new law gives agencies three years to implement a set of new reporting requirements to track federal spending, but itRead… Read more »

How do you plan to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week?

3 steps you can take TODAY to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week: 1. Register for live streaming of Public Service Town Hall: http://pps.convio.net/site/Calendar?id=103945&view=Detail 2. Express your gratitude to colleagues, employees, and/or other civil servants for their work 3. Register for Friday webcast, “Top 10 Ways to Generate Innovation in the Public Sector”, May 9, 2014Read… Read more »

How to manage Internet Security software in your PC

Responsibility to manage Internet Security begins with an individual. The risks are always there and the following are a few practical steps, which you as a responsible individual can take to improve the security of your network. Refrain using shared/public systems: Do not use public computers for carrying out transactions such as investment transactions orRead… Read more »

More Feds Should Say Yes to the FEVS

Last week the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the roll out of this year’s government-wide Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). However, did you know that over half of all feds disregarded the FEVS in 2013? That’s a paltry participation rate. Worse yet, some agencies had a shockingly low rate of under 30% of employeesRead… Read more »

The Final Frontier

We are embarking on the greatest business revolution in 4 generations. It affects the whole economy. The biggest change in ownership since WWII is starting now and will continue through the next 15 years. More than one half of small and medium business in the American economy are owned and managed by Boomers, and willRead… Read more »