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Executive Biographies

Abramson   Mark A. Abramson
Consultant to the
IBM Center for the Business of Government
Leadership Inc.
409 Princess Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(571) 527-0138
E-Mail: mark.abramson@comcast.net

horizontal rule Career Overview

Mark A. Abramson is a Consultant to the IBM Center for The Business of Government. He served as the Executive Director of the IBM Center from July 1998 to February 2007.

Mr. Abramson is co-editor of the IBM Center for the Business of Government Book Series, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. He is also the author or editor of 13 books and has published more than 100 articles on public management. In 2005, he was appointed to the editorial board of the Public Administration Review. He has also served as a Contributing Editor to Government Executive and as a member of the Board of Editors and Forum Editor for The Public Manager. Mr. Abramson has spoken to numerous groups of public servants and public management organizations across the nation, as well as testified before the United States Congress on several occasions.

Prior to helping found the IBM Center for the Business of Government (originally the PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for The Business of Government), he served as Chairman of Leadership Inc. from 1994 to 1998. Leadership Inc. provided executive seminars for senior government officials from numerous agencies across the federal government.

From 1983 to 1994, Mr. Abramson served as the first President of the Council for Excellence in Government in Washington, D.C. The Council is a nonprofit non-partisan organization dedicated to the proposition that whatever government does, it should do well. The Council consists of private sector leaders who once served as high level government officials. He is now a Principal of the Council.

Mr. Abramson was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 1992. He recently served as a member of the Academy panel to examine the Veteran Benefits Administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also served on the Advisory Board for the Alliance for Redesigning Government and served as Chair of the Board Selection Committee.

Mr. Abramson is a past President of the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. In that capacity, he led a two-year examination of "Creating the Public Service of the Future."

Mr. Abramson was a member of the Program Committee of the 1996 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Public Administration. He served as co-chair of the 1997 and 1995 Annual Fall Meeting of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Since 1995, Mr. Abramson has served as an evaluator and team leader for the Innovations in American Government Awards Program sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mr. Abramson has also served on the selection panel for the 1997 Truman Scholars, sponsored by the Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation. In 1994, Mr. Abramson was selected as one of six Americans to participate in The Fulbright Symposium on Public Sector Reform held in Brisbane, Australia. During 1991, Mr. Abramson served on the Office of Personnel Management's Pay Reform Task Force.

In August 2005, Mr. Abramson was recognized by the Center for Leadership and Management at the Graduate School, USDA for "Outstanding Leadership and a Life Long Commitment to Public Service and Collaboration." In 2003, he was recognized for distinguished public service by Phi Alpha Sigma, the honorary public administration society. Mr. Abramson is also a recipient of ASPA's NCAC Distinguished Service award. Mr. Abramson was awarded the Laverne Burchfield Award for his article "The Leadership Factor," which was selected as the Best Book Review of 1989 published in Public Administration Review. In 1989, he received the Elmer B. Staats Award for Accountability in Government by the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

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horizontal rule Education

M.A., Political Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1973
M.A., History, New York University, 1971
B.A., Florida State University, 1968

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horizontal rule Professional Experience

The IBM Center for the Business of Government, Consultant, March 2007 to Present; Executive Director, July 1998 to February 2007

Leadership Inc., President, 1994 to Present

George Mason University, Faculty Member, Department of Public and International Affairs, 1994 to 1999

Government Executive, Contributing Editor, 1994 to 1998

The Council for Excellence In Government, President, 1983 to 1994

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Senior Program Evaluator, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 1977 to 1983

National Reseach Council, Research Associate, Study Project on Social Research and Development, 1975 to 1977


Executive Biographies

Selected Publications - Mark Abramson

Magazine Articles
Books


Magazine Articles

"Fourth Quarter Blues," Government Executive, April 15, 2007.

"Six Trends Transforming Government (with Jonathan Breul and John Kamensky)," Public Manager, Spring 2007, page 3.

"The Challenge of Managing the Workforce of the Future," (with Robert M. Tobias), gov, Fall 2006, page 30.

"What I've Learned from the IBM Center," The Business of Government, Fall 2006, page 104.

"Forum Introduction: Forum on Transformation," The Business of Government, Winter 2005, page 49.

"Get Along to Get Along," Government Leader, June 2005, page 9.

"Forum Introduction: The Second Term of George W. Bush," The Business of Government, Spring 2005, page 42.

"The Biggest Secret in Washington" (with Paul. R. Lawrence), The Business of Government, Spring 2005, page 44.

"Forum Introduction: Moving Toward Getting Results," The Business of Government, Summer 2004, page 45.

"Four Trends Transforming Government" (with Jonathan D. Breul and John M. Kamensky," The Business of Government, Summer 2003, page 4.

"New Perspectives on Leadership," The Business of Government, Winter 2002, page 37.

"The Human Capital Challenge," (with Nicole Willenze Gardner and Ruby Butler DeMesme), The Business of Government, Spring 2002, page 27.

"The Six Key Human Capital Questions Facing Government," The Business of Government, Spring 2002, page 31.

"A Management Agenda for the New Administration," The Business of Government, Spring 2001, page 2.

"The Accountability Debate," The Business of Government, Fall 2001, page 2.

"The New Government Executive: The Leader Manager," The Business of Government, Summer 2002, page 9.

"The Executive as Futurist," The Business of Government, Fall 2000, page 15.

"Reflections on Reinvention," The Business of Government, Fall 1999, page 6.

“Top-Level Pay Raise Is Just the First Step” (with Carl Weinberg), Federal Times, October 18, 1999, page 37.

"Results of the Government Leadership Survey, A 1999 Study of Federal Executives" (with Steven Clyburn and Elizabeth Mercier), The Business of Government, Summer 1999, page 12.

"Transforming a Traditional Agency into a Business: The United States Mint," The Business of Government, Spring 1999, page 8.

"Transportation Administrative Service Center," The Business of Government, September-October 1998, page 4.

"Public-Private Partnerships at Work," The Business of Government, July-August 1998, page 5.

"Improving the Business of Government: The U.S. Investigations Service," The Business of Government, July-August 1998.

"People are Important," The Business of Government, July-August 1998.

"Improving the Business of Government: A-76," The Business of Government, May-June 1998.

"Coming to Grips with the Information Age," The Business of Government, May-June 1998.

"Reflections from the Top: Management Advice from Government CEOs, A Series on Transforming Organizations" (with Kevin Bacon), March 1998.

"Improving the Business of Government: Defense Commissary Agency," The Business of Government, March-April 1998.

"Drucker, Handy, and Peters on Management," The Business of Government, March-April 1998.

"Improving the Business of Government: Defense Automated Printing Service," The Business of Government, January-February 1998.

"The Quest for Efficiency," The Business of Government, January-February 1998.

"The Myth of the Top Management Team," The Business of Government, January-February 1998.

"What Political Leaders Bring to the Table," Public Manager, Winter 1997.

"Time to Rethink Your Career," Government Executive, October 1997.

"Move Full Spead Ahead on Executive Development," Government Executive,October 1997.

"Leadership for the Future: New Behaviors, New Roles, and New Attitudes,"Public Manager, Spring 1997.

"Reinvention Redux," Government Executive, May 1997.

"Managing Paradox," Government Executive, March 1997.

"A Reader's Guide to Leadership, Part III," The Public Innovator, February 28, 1997.*

"For the Manager on Your Gift List," Government Executive, December 1996.

"A Reader's Guide to Leadership, Part II," The Public Innovator, November 14, 1996.*

"Lessons from the Computer Firms," Government Executive, November 1996.

"A Reader's Guide to Leadership, Part I," The Public Innovator, October 17, 1996.*

"In Search of the New Leadership," Government Executive, September 1996.

"Watch Out for Change Busters," Government Executive, July 1996.

"First Teams," Government Executive, May 1996.

"Transforming Pubic Service," Government Executive, May 1996.

"Packing a Punch Line," Government Executive, March 1996.

"Adding Soul to Work," Government Executive, December 1995.*

"Inspiration is Where You Find It," Government Executive, November 1995.*

"Careers in an Era of Downsizing," Government Executive, October 1995.*

"A Future of Fishnets and Webs," Government Executive, September 1995.*

"Get Wired: The World Wide Web Can Help Your Career," Federal Times, September 4, 1995.*

"You Say Want a Revolution: An Interview with Mark A. Abramson (By Jacqueline B. Werth)," The Public Manager, Summer 1995.*

"New Frames for Self-Examination," Government Executive, June 1995.*

"Reinvention Goes Video," Government Executive, May 1995.*

"The Cyberscape: The Virtual Commerce Department,"Government Executive, April 1995.*

"Rego Goes Multi-Media," Government Executive, April 1995.*

"The Newt Reading List," Government Executive, March 1995.*

"NPR Reports: A Gold Mine," Government Executive, March 1995.*

"The Cyberscape: A Quick Tour of Virtual Washington," Government Executive, March 1995.*

"The New Town Hall: Cyberspace," Government Executive, February 1995.*

"Return of the Management Gurus," Government Executive, November 1994.*

"The Reinvention Network," Government Executive, September 1994.*

(With John Scanlon), "Cabinet Leadership: Making a Difference, "Government Executive, November 1992.*

Review of The Human Resource Crisis in the Public Sector by Larry M. Lane and James F. Wolf, Governance, International Journal of Policy and Administration, Volume 4, 1991.

(With John Scanlon), "The Five Dimensions of Leadership," Government Executive, July 1991.*

"Can Management Books Help You?," Government Executive, March 1991.

"The Leadership Factor," Public Administration Review, November/December 1989.*

"Toward Post-Entrepreneurial Management," Government Executive, October 1989.

"Cherish Impermanence, Thrive on Chaos," Government Executive, July 1988.

Review of The Renewal Factor by Robert H. Waterman, Government Executive, June 1988.

"Don't Let Those Transition Year Tribulations Get You Down, "Federal Times, February 22, 1988.

"Capturing Policy, The Politico's Survival Guide," Management, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1987.

"The Missing Issue: A Challenge to the 1988 Presidential Candidates," Government Executive, October 1987.

"Can We Improve the Public View of Government," Government Executive, July/August 1987.

"Coast to Coast in Search of a Public Service Credo," Government Executive, June 1987.

"Executive Personnel Systems in Government: How Are They Doing," Public Administration Review, July/August 1987.

Review of Management of the U. S. Government, FY 1988, Government Executive, May 1987.

"Performance is the question," Washington Times, September 3, 1986.

(With Joseph S. Wholey and Christopher Bellavita),Performance and Credibility: Developing Excellence in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Lexington: Lexington Books, 1986.

Forum: Toward Excellence in Government - What Can Public Managers Do, The Bureaucrat, Fall 1985.

"The Public Manager and Excellence," The Bureaucrat, Fall 1985.

(With Richard E.Schmidt), "Implementing the Civil Service Reform Act in a Time of Turbulence," in Patricia W. Ingraham and Carolyn Ban (ed.), Legislating Bureaucratic Change: The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1984.

(With Richard E.Schmidt and Sandra Baxter), "Evaluating the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978: The Experience of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services", in Ingraham and Ban (ed.), Legislating Bureaucratic Change: The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1984.

"Putting Reform In Perspective," The Bureaucrat, Summer 1983.

(With Richard Schmidt) "Politics and Performance: What Does It Mean for Civil Servants?," Public Administration Review, March/April 1983.*

Review of Strategies for Administrative Reform by Gerald E. Caiden and Heinrich Siedentopf,American Political Science Review, March 1983.

(With Bruce Buchanan, Joseph S. Wholey, Michael Pagano, Martin Strosberg, and Richard E. Schmidt), "Assessing a New Personnel System: Developing an Evaluation Design for the Senior Executive Service," Review of Public Personnel Administration, Summer 1982.

(With Joseph S. Wholey), "The Organization and Management of the Evaluation Function in Multi-Level Organization," New Directions for Program Evaluation, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc., June 1981.

"The Future of Political Science Funding," Policy Studies Journal, Summer 1980.

The Federal Funding of Social Knowledge Production and Application, Volume 2 of the Study Project on Social Research and Development, National Academy of Sciences-National Research, Washington, D.C., 1978.

* Available as a Reprint. To receive a report, contact Mark Abramson.

Books

E-Government 2001 (with Grady E. Means). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.

E-Government 2003 (with Therese L. Morin). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002.

The Federal Funding of Social Knowledge Production and Application, Volume 2 of the Study Project on Social Research and Development, National Academy of Sciences-National Research, Washington, D.C., 1978.

Human Capital 2002 (with Nicole Willenz Gardner). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002.

Innovation (with Ian Littman). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002.

Leaders (with Kevin M. Bacon). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002.

Learning the Ropes: Insights for Political Appointees (with Paul R. Lawrence). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005.

Managing for Results 2002 (with John Kamensky). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.

Memos to the President: Management Advice from the Nation's Top Public Administrators. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.

New Ways of Doing Business (with Ann M. Kieffaber). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003.

Performance and Credibility: Developing Excellence in Public and Nonprofit Organizations (With Joseph S. Wholey and Christopher Bellavita), Lexington: Lexington Books, 1986.

The Procurement Revolution (with Roland S. Harris III). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003.

Transforming Organizations (with Paul R. Lawrence). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.

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