John Kamensky

John Kamensky

And this happened just two years after it was similarly devastated by -- a one-in-one thousand-year flash flood. But this isn’t an anomaly.

John Kamensky

John Kamensky

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius opined recently that “there’s no question that we’ll be living in a different world post-pandemic.” He writes about a New Normal, and that more than half of Americans “believe their lives will remain changed in major ways.”

The National Academy for Public Administration advocates the use of new collaborative models; the Campaign for Common Good calls for a “new operating system;” and futurist Don Tapscott calls for rethinking government and democracy in the new age of networked i

When Vice President Gore’s reinventing government team was being formed in the early 1990s, he encouraged it to not focus on reorganizing agencies and programs, but rather to fix what’s inside the agencies.  He also advocated the creation of “virtual agencies.”  At the time, no one really understood what he was talking about, but today – with the technologies now available – it is really possible.

What Is Presidential Reorganization Authority?

Beginning in 1932, presidents were periodically granted authority by Congress to submit plans to reorganize agencies.  Over time, it became increasingly limited in scope and when this authority expired in 1984, presidents since then have not asked for it to be renewed, until now.

This year’s awards recognize 225 individuals and/or teams that improved mission results, customer service or demonstrated accountable stewardship. Six were highlighted for the President’s Award. For example, one team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was recognized for fixing an instrument failure on a newly launched, $1 billion weather satellite – from a distance of 22,300 miles!  Absent their ingenuity, it would have been a total loss.