The federal government, adhering to its Digital Strategy guidelines to “pour into applications” a wealth of information, is moving to serve both the public and federal worker in their mobile efforts.
Agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have begun to use mobile apps to increase efficiency and ease daily operations. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Management Excellence medal Alice Muellerweiss, Dean of the VA Learning University at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Alice Muellerweiss helped design, establish and now heads a new learning institution that provides web-based and in-person leadership, management, technical and professional training to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees nationwide. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY: OPM’s newly issued “2012 Status of Telework in the Federal Government”
report contains new insights on telework, some good news, and at least one major issue that will require close oversight.
Despite the inability to accurately track trends over the previous years due to changes in how the data is being gathered and reported, it’s clear that the use of telework is increasing significantly and also being accepted as a normal and desirable business practice. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Call to Service Medal, Deborah Temkin, Research and Policy Coordinator for Bullying Prevention Initiatives at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.
Lady Gaga may be a high-profile public face in the fight against bullying, but 26-year-old Deborah Temkin is playing an important parallel role in making it a topic for national action.
An expert on the subject at the Department of Education, Temkin delves into the research on bullying, and offers information and guidance to top leaders on what is relevant to policy and programs. She also provides advice on what federal, state and local governments can do to take action to prevent further victimization. Keep reading →
A new report provides government leaders with insights into IT business and outlines the top 10 technology trends that will impact federal organizations over the next 18 to 36 months.
The report, Technology Trends 2012: A Federal Perspective, was released by Deloitte this week. The trends are grouped into two categories as follows: Keep reading →
Environmental Protection Agency Chief information Officer Malcolm Jackson has embarked on a six-month, rapid-deployment plan to contract and implement a new email and collaboration platform to help improve work processes for EPA employees.
“We’re ripping the Band-aid off,” declared Jackson, acknowledging the initiative “is aggressive; it’s really aggressive.” Keep reading →
We all know government is facing extreme budget pressure. It’s no secret that more work needs to be done than there are dollars to pay for it. Additional resources to invest in opportunities to improve citizen services and increase operational capability are extremely difficult to find.
However, if we as a country want to keep our competitive edge, we need to continually evolve to run better than ever before. We have to break through barriers, embrace new ideas, and innovate faster than any other country in the world. Taxpayers deserve no less. Keep reading →
The Swiss Army Knife is a novel invention, a single pocket-sized device that includes everything from a standard knife blade and scissors to corkscrews and laser pointers. What it makes up for in versatility, however, it lacks in effectiveness – the functions themselves are never as good as actual scissors or laser pointers.
The same rule applies to federal systems administrators (sysadmins), who now serve agencies as a professional “Swiss Army Knives.” Thanks to budget cuts and decreasing staffing levels, federal sysadmins have been pushed into more and more roles, including security specialist, storage manager, virtualization manager and many more. Keep reading →
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service today announced the 33 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists – outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans.
The finalists (see the full list below) will be honored in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as part of Public Service Recognition Week. The Service to America Medals have earned a reputation as the most prestigious awards dedicated to honoring America’s civil servants. Keep reading →
The TechAmerica Foundation announced key recommendations on Friday for research initiatives and policies to enhance education across the nation through technology.
The recommendations came from a report compiled by the Recommendations for Education and Advancement of Learning (REAL) Agenda Commission, made up of leaders in science and technology in government and industry. Their intent is to advance the goals of Digital Promise, a national center founded to spur breakthrough technologies that aims to transform the way teachers teach and students learn. Keep reading →