There is No End to the Ways to Serve
In preparing for Public Service Recognition Week, it is evident that just as the public service can play many different roles, so can members of the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy). An average day in the life of an Academy member is quite varied and illustrates how so many individuals contribute to making government work.
With nearly 940 Academy Fellows representing public service as current and former federal, state, and local government leaders, academic leaders in schools of public administration, or the voice for associations and nonprofits paving the way for more effective management of public resources, these leaders contribute every day to studies, panels, and working groups that respond to challenges and opportunities in the public sector. Fellows also lend their insights in many venues to inform and engage the public on important issues of management and governance. The Academy’s professional study staff play a critical role in supporting the Fellows and providing the research, analysis, and technical support of all Academy efforts.
Chronicling a day in the life of an Academy Fellow requires an amalgamated representation of the diverse set of activities that are taken up each day. Over a dozen Fellows contributed to the recently published National Association of Counties (NACo) report, guiding and informing the study team as they developed a series of findings and recommendations that addressed the impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding and spotlighted early lessons learned in innovative county approaches to meeting the urgent needs of so many Americans during the pandemic. This nearly real-time review provided practical guidance for ongoing efforts to mitigate challenges resulting from COVID 19 and provided actionable recommendations for future stimulus distribution.
Academy Fellows also work with staff each week to provide content for the Management Matters Podcast. This series tackles issues such as the nation’s fiscal health, climate change, and connecting individuals to meaningful work. A recent episode explored the connection of careers in science and public administration from the perspective of former NOAA Administrator and the first American woman to walk in space, Academy Fellow Katherine Sullivan. Other Fellows are providing their perspective and experience in congressional testimonies, commentary pieces, and in publications to help shape the direction of public administration. A number of Fellows recently provided additional context building on their experience as they responded to the Academy report for the Office of Personnel Management, Elevating Human Capital: Reframing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Leadership Imperative. This report responded to the urgent need to modernize the federal workforce and provided strategies for addressing one of the most critical aspects to effective governance – human capital.
Fellows continue to guide the direction of the Academy’s 12 Grand Challenges of Public Administration providing content and thought leadership to areas that complement current events and emerging issues at all levels of government. It is quite fitting that the Grand Challenge for the month of May is Modernize and Reinvigorate the Public Service. These contributions to so many important issues and conversations remind us all about the powerful and diverse ways that so many are responding to the call to public service. With so many exemplars who have met this call under one virtual roof, a day in the life of the Academy allows for many ways to engage and contribute. Just as an individual can contribute and respond to the call of public service in a wide variety of capacities (deliver human services, manage a city government, or fight fires to name a few), a member of the Academy can find many ways to participate on any given day. And so many do so, making every day in the life of the Academy interesting and inspiring.
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