The 2019 Annual Conference will feature more than 15 Presidential Panels, issuing calls for action on today's biggest challenges. Read on for details. All Presidential Panels will take place in the Chinese Ballroom at the Mayflower.
Public Administration Advancing Rule-Ordered Institutions in Asia
Friday, March 8 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Global Public Administration
This panel will discuss the role of public administration in developing and advancing rule ordered institutions. Panelists will each draw on decades of experience and research in Asia to provide their insights on the design of public institutions, drawing in part on the work of Elinor Ostrom on rule development for effective cooperation. Speakers will also discuss specific examples from several nations in discussing the challenges and the successes.
Moderator
Marilyn Rubin, Distinguished Research Fellow, Rutgers University—Newark
Presenters
M. Jae Moon, Underwood Distinguished Professor, Yonsei University
Shui-Yan Tang, Distinguished Professor, University of Southern California
Kaifeng Yang, Dean and Professor, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China
Data Analytics
Friday, March 8 | 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Public Service
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Achieving agencies’ vital missions, including tackling complex national
challenges and threats, requires them to focus on learning and
continuous improvement. A key improvement strategy is using data and
evidence to learn and do what works—and adjust what does not. At a time
when technology allows for the collection, combination and analysis of
vast reems of data and government prepares for the automation of much of
its administrative daily work, government leaders must challenge
themselves to think through ways to harness these new capacities to
ensure programs are effectively achieving the outcomes our country
needs. During this panel, you will hear from select agencies about the
practices that enable them to leverage data in making important
decisions and improving program management and performance.
Moderators
Mallory Bulman, Research and Evaluation, The Partnership for Public Service
Andrew Feldman, Director, Public Service Practice, Grant Thornton
Presenter
Jason Bossie, Director, Office of Performance Management, Small Business Administration
Calvin Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Monitoring, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Shelley Martinez, Statistical and Science Policy, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, White House Office of Management and Budget
Revitalizing the Middle Class: Workforce Issues
Friday, March 8 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Public Service
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Of the numerous challenges our country currently faces, the instability of the middle class is one that could yield the most dramatic consequences for our nation if not effectively addressed. Vice President Biden, and his institute at the University of Delaware, has set out to tackle this issue head-on, calling it “the great challenge of our time.” This panel, organized in conjunction with the Biden Institute and their expert economists, demographers and other consultants, will focus on the workforce issues affecting the middle class including income inequality, defining the poverty line, transportation equity, health and child care challenges and more. This panel is a continuation of discussions the Biden Institute has been having with a variety of public administrators and academics for the past 18 months. Be in the audience to share your voice as we continue generating ideas the Vice President and policymakers can put to use to revitalize our middle class.
Moderator
Maria Aristigueta, Director and Charles P. Messick Chair in Public Administration, Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
Presenters
Heather Boushey, Executive Director, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
Stephanie Hoopes, Project Director, United Way New Jersey ALICE Project
Mark Pisano, Senior Fellow, University of Southern California
Leland Ware, Louis L. Redding Professor and Chair, Study of Law and Public Policy, University of Delaware
The Buck Stops Here: How Federal Leaders Can Reduce Improper Payments
Friday, March 8 | 12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Public Finance
In 2017, improper payments totaled more than $140 billion across the government. Ensuring taxpayer money is properly spent is a critical function of the government, whether it involves getting the correct benefits to deserving veterans or preventing fraudulent payments to scammers. When agencies mistakenly send payments to people who are not entitled to them or pay incorrect benefit amounts, it is a sign of government ineffectiveness. Utilizing government-wide strategies to reduce improper payments is one piece of the puzzle. Agencies also need to adopt solutions that address root causes of improper payments within their programs. Join this panel discussion about how the federal government can partner with states to improve program integrity. We’ll also look at how using behavioral economics can reduce improper payments.
Moderator
Amina Popowich, Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche
Presenters
Cory Baumhardt, Improper Payments Manager, U.S. Department of Transportation
Mary Green, Senior Advisor, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of the Administrator
DJ LaVoy, Deputy Assistant Secretary PIH, Real Estate Assessment Center
Assessing the Trump Administration’s Management Agenda: A Media Panel
Friday, March 8 | 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Public Service
In this session, a group of reporters and editors from Government Executive Media Group (publishers of Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One and Route Fifty) will discuss the state of management reform efforts in the current administration, including:
- The role of the Office of Management and Budget in crafting and pushing the president’s management agenda
- How the effort both builds on and differs from previous administrations’ management improvement efforts
- What the administration is likely to achieve and what will fall by the wayside
- The future of the merit system and civil service rules and regulations
- Engaging the federal workforce in reform efforts
- Prospects for reform legislation on Capitol Hill in a time of extreme partisanship
- The importance of advanced technology in improving service to citizens
Presenters
Tom Shoop, Moderator, Executive Vice President and Editor in Chief,
Government Executive Media Group
Aaron Boyd, Senior Editor, Technology and Events,
Nextgov
Charles M. Clark, Senior Correspondent,
Government Executive
Eric Katz, Senior Correspondent,
Government Executive
Katherine McIntire Peters, Deputy Editor,
Government Executive Media Group
The Future Has Begun: Using Artificial Intelligence to Transform Government
Friday, March 8 | 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Public Service
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In hindsight, it is easy to identify Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone in the 1870s as an instrument of marvel, eventually connecting people worldwide. And of course, there is the Internet, which few can envision living without despite it being barely 30 years old. Similarly, future historians may look back at this decade as the point at which artificial intelligence (AI) forever changed how the world works, revolutionizing the way we perceive, think, reason, learn and make decisions. More importantly, though, AI has the potential to help address many of our country’s pervasive problems and advance our well-being. That same promise has great potential to transform government, but it will also change the way public servants do their jobs and the federal government will have to manage the resulting challenges. This panel will look at research currently in the field that estimates the impact of AI on the federal workforce. Join us to learn some of the preliminary results.
Moderator
Mallory Bulman, Vice President, Research, The Partnership for Public Service
Presenter
Dan Chenok, Executive Director, The IBM Center for The Business of Government
William Wiatrowski, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Looking Ahead: What the Public Sector of the Future Must Look Like
Saturday, March 9 | 10:45 a.m. - Noon
Public Service
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It is a challenge that transcends geographic boundaries and levels of government: recruiting and retaining the best and brightest into the public sector. As the traditional definition of “public service” evolves and expands, so too do the skills needed to effectively serve the public good and the expectations governments have of the next generation of public service leaders. And, this transformation is taking place against the backdrop of the ever increasing challenge of inspiring new professionals to join a profession whose work goes unheralded and often unappreciated. What is happening on the front lines of federal, state, county and local governments? A distinguished panel of executives from leading public service organizations will share what they are finding…and what they believe lies ahead.
Moderator
Norton Bonaparte, Jr., City Manager, Sanford, FL
Presenters
Shawn Skelly, National Commission on Military, National and Public Service
Bill Valdez, President, Senior Executives Association (SEA)
Heidi Voorhees, President and Co-Owner, GovHR USA
Willidean Wilkerson, Senior Executive Service (ret.)
A Call for Action: Public Administration Advancing Rule of Law in Post-Conflict Nations
Saturday, March 9 | 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Global Public Administration
This panel will highlight the difficulties associated with operationalizing rule of law in post-conflict nations. Drawing on our speakers’ decades of professional experiences, and specific lessons learned from real nation-building scenarios, we’ll look at best practices for advancing rule of law in police, administrative and public institution building from around the world.
Moderator
Rich Callahan, Editor, International Journal of Public Leadership and Professor, University of San Francisco
Presenters
Stéphane Jean, Judicial Officer, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Department of Peace Operations, United Nations
Mark Kroecker, Senior Partner, Kroecker Partners LLC
Fron Nahzi, Senior Director of Global Development, McCain Institute for International Leadership, Arizona State University
The New Financial Sustainability Framework
Saturday, March 9 | 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Public Finance
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The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and its university partners have been researching a new model for how local governments can become financially sustainable. The model is based on a Nobel-prize winning body of work about how communities can make better decisions about shared resources, such as a public budget. It also builds on many concepts for which GFOA has long advocated, but it raises a number of new concepts that our research has shown to be vital to financial sustainability. At this session, you will be introduced to the new framework, learn its essential components and find out it has been applied.
[Interested in more information?
Click here to access an article originally published in the September 2018 edition of
Public Management (PM) magazine, published by ICMA.]
Presenters
Shayne Kavanagh, Moderator, Senior Manager, Research, GFOA
Laura Allen, Town Administrator, Berlin, Maryland
Mark Pisano, Senior Fellow, University of Southern California
Shui-Yan Tang, Duggan Professor in Public Administration, University of Southern California
Cybersecurity: “Infrastructure” and So Much More
Sunday, March 10 | 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Infrastructure
The federal Cybersecurity Framework, developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce, was originally launched by President Obama and has been continued by President Trump. Applicable infrastructure within the Framework includes utilities providing energy and water, as well as sectors covering transportation, financial services, communication, health care and public health, dams, key manufacturers, emergency services and more. In fact, cybersecurity itself encompasses all that we consider under the topic of “infrastructure.” This panel will look at the state of our nation’s cyber infrastructure and offer attendees a profound appreciation for its complexity. You’ll also walk away with a sense of the urgency associated with actions that must be taken to prevent multi-dimensional threats we invite if we fail to address cybersecurity challenges.
Moderator
Wendy Haynes, Special Assistant to the Vice President for University Advancement, Bridgewater State University
Presenters
Camille Stewart, Cybersecurity Policy Fellow, New America
Amelia Estwick, Program Manager at the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College
Gary Evee, CEO, Evee Security Group
Ron Ford, Regional Cybersecurity Advisor, New England Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
No Time to Wait
Sunday, March 10 |11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Public Service
Whether recognized or not, today’s federal civil service is in a state of dysfunction that is creating a genuine national crisis—and one that must be solved immediately. Our country needs a public service workforce that is equipped to do the people's work, managed effectively and structured to support our country for generations to come. How do we get there? The National Academy of Public Service's "No Time to Wait" reports, released in 2017 and 2018, identified specific problems and provided thoughtful solutions. Recommendations on the table include flexibility in support of mission; replacing job specifications with a competency based, talent-management model; reinforcing merit-system principles; leading from the center; and transforming the federal government's human capital backbone. What has been done with these recommendations since they were put in front of Congress and the administration? This panel will look at that question and more. Every day this problem goes unsolved, our national crisis will only get bigger and more intractable. We truly have no time to wait.
Moderator
Thelma Hite-Harris, Project Director, NAPA
Presenters (more to come)
Anita Blair, NAPA Fellow
Maggie Mello, Associate Director, The Volcker Alliance
Peter Warren, Associate Director, Office of Management and Budget
University Nervous Areas of Government: Monuments and Reparations
Sunday, March 10 | 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Social Equity
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Should Confederate monuments remain on public university campuses?
Should well-endowed public universities that realized substantial
economic benefits from slavery provide scholarships to slaves’
descendants? This panel considers these nervous areas of government by
university administrators and researchers who have directly led efforts
to engage these topics. Beyond apologies, this panel examines tangible
strategies for correcting historical wrongs and the implications for
public universities that are navigating this challenge.
Moderator
Susan T. Gooden, Interim Dean, L. Douglas Wilder School, Virginia Commonwealth University
Presenters
Curtis Brown, Chief Deputy State Coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Former Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Commonwealth of Virginia
Hannah Cameron, Co-Chair, History and Civil Rights Working Committee, Virginia Commonwealth University
John B. Stephens, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Government, University of North Carolina
Managing Our Country’s Watershed Infrastructure
Monday, March 11 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Infrastructure
Many communities in the United States are dependent on human management of large natural watersheds. The Mississippi River drainage basin encompasses lands in 32 states. The Colorado and Columbia Rivers each drain parts of seven states. The Chesapeake Bay watershed encompasses parts of six states. The infrastructure projects that altered and now manage these watersheds include dredging, dams, levees and more with a variety of policy goals including flood control, irrigation, power generation, navigation and recreation. In addition, climate change is projected to include severe rainfall, “flashier” floods, and sea level rise in coastal areas, which will only increase today’s current challenges. This panel will examine the range of policy goals affecting our nation’s watersheds, including federal, state and local roles.
Moderator
John Kirlin, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
Presenters
Carin Bisland, Associate Director, Office of Partnerships and Accountability, EPA, Chesapeake Bay Program Office
James Davis Martin, VaDEQ and Chair, Chesapeake Bay Program’s Water Quality Goal Implementation Team
Mary Gattis, Local Engagement and Environmental Policy Strategist
#MeToo: The Role of Universities in the MeToo Movement
Monday, March 11 | 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Social Equity
Are universities taking a proactive stance in addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault? The #MeToo Movement has played a critical role in the number of persons coming forward with claims of sexual harassment and sexual assault in recent years. Colleges and universities are not immune to these claims; we have seen several university cases highlighted in major media outlets. How do universities manage situations when graduate students claim they are being sexually harassed or assaulted by a professor? This panel will assess the magnitude of sexual harassment and sexual assault in colleges and universities and discuss best practices in changing the culture of organizations and addressing the problem at the grassroots level.
Moderator
Charles E. Menifield, Dean, Rutgers University—Newark
Presenters
RaJade M. Berry-James, Associate Professor of Public Administration, North Carolina State University, School of Public and International Affairs
Nicole Elias, Assistant Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
Donna Greco, Policy Director, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
Mindy Weinstein, Acting Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Washington Field Office
Monday, March 11 | 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Infrastructure
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View a short clip here.)
(Password: PostConferenceLearning)
Every four years, the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) issues an Infrastructure Report Card. According to the most recent scores, America’s infrastructure scored a D+ overall, an alarmingly substandard grade for structures that undergird the economic health of the nation, domestically and globally. ASCE contends that the nation’s infrastructure problems are solvable with sufficient investment, leadership and planning—and a clear vision for the future. But those elements are the crux of the matter, aren’t they? Who pays and who benefits? And who is in charge, anyhow? Join us for a conversation with experts in in infrastructure investment, system safety and leadership and planning, and where we go from here.
Moderator
Wendy Haynes, Special Assistant to the Vice President for University Advancement, Bridgewater State University
Presenters
Casey Dinges, Senior Managing Director, Infrastructure Initiatives, American Society of Civil Engineers
Derrell Turner, Acting Associate Administrator for Infrastructure, U.S. Department of Transportation
Paul Wiedefeld, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Washington Metro
Census 2020: A Count That Matters
Monday, March 11 | 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Social Equity
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the decennial census is a count that matters. It impacts voting representation, as well as funding allocations to areas such as education, health care and housing. This panel will examine the challenges associated with Census 2020 for public administrators, including the continued vacancy of a Census Bureau director, reduced administrative capacity to administer the census, conflicting federal guidance on census questions relative to citizenship, race and ethnicity, and increased fear among immigrants to complete the census.
Moderator
Susan T. Gooden, Interim Dean, L. Douglas Wilder School, Virginia Commonwealth University
Presenters
Albert E. Fontenot Jr., Associate Director, Decennial Census Programs, United States Department of Commerce
Mary Jo Hoeksema, Co-Director, The Census Project and Director of Government Affairs, Population Association of America,
Beth Lynk, Census Counts Campaign Director, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund
Developing the Next Generation of Public Service Leaders
Monday, March 11 | 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Public Service
Career federal leaders are the tip of the spear when it comes to advancing a public service ethic and restoring the public’s confidence in government during turbulent and disruptive times. But what are those leaders doing to promote the next generation of federal public service leaders and build the leadership development pipeline programs needed to recruit and retain 21st century leaders? This panel will explore exemplar federal agency leadership development programs, the system level constraints that encourage and/or inhibit the developing those programs and the interchange of perspectives from both federal and academic perspectives on how to best prepare our next generation of public servants for the demands of federal leadership.
Presenters
Bill Valdez, Moderator, President, Senior Executives Association (SEA)
Angela Bailey, Chief Human Capitol Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dustin Brown, Deputy Assistant Director for Management, U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Angela Evans, Dean, University of Texas LBJ School
Robert Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Significant Risks in Higher Education—The Future is in Our Hands
Tuesday, March 12 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Public Finance
The higher education sector is changing rapidly. Some shifts have been years in the making and follow other patterns and cultural trends; others are the result of recent disruptions to the sector itself, such as student loans and college affordability. As the model for higher education evolves, new risks will emerge, known risks will take new forms and have more extensive impacts, and crises will inevitably unfold. Universities must be comfortable with a “new normal” of perpetual discomfort. At this session you will hear from leaders from all sides of the sector, sharing their perspectives on the risks facing higher education, and some possible considerations for institutions in dealing with these challenges moving forward.
Moderator
Cynthia Vitters, Risk and Financial Advisory Managing Director, Deloitte & Touche
Presenters
Michael Dean, Chief Risk Officer and Senior Executive Head of Portfolio, Risk and Data, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Luke Figora, Senior Associate Vice President, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, Northwestern University
Julia Zobel, Assistant Vice President, Safety, Emergency and Enterprise Risk Management, George Mason University