Leaders Speak on Leadership and Public Service: Amb. Patrick Kennedy, Adm. Thad Allen, and Dave Wennergren

For a decade, The Business of Government Hour has brought you leading government executives who are changing the way government does business. Each week, our guests join us for an informative, insightful, and in-depth conversation about their careers, their agencies, agency accomplishments, as well as their vision of government in the 21st century.  Over last five years, we have interviewed more than 250 government executives. It is from this rich library that we have culled together their insights on important public management issues.

Richard Spires: Leveraging IT to Enhance DHS Mission Effectiveness

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its first-ever Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) that delineates a strategy focusing on five mission priority areas for the homeland security enterprise. “Mission one is preventing terrorism and enhancing the security of the country.

Creating a Dynamic and Agile IT Enterprise: Insights from Dr. David Bray, Chief Information Officer, Federal Communications Comm

In 2013 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) embarked on an ambitious effort to modernize its information technology infrastructure, transforming from an agency with 207 different IT systems to one with a cloud-based common data platform that would play a signifi- cant role in creating a more dynamic and agile enterprise.

Weekly Roundup for July 29, 2016

Michael J. Keegan

VA and VistA: Can they be fixed? The Department of Veterans Affairs is rushing to make changes to its IT infrastructure and systems before the next administration enters the White House. And skeptical lawmakers, oversight bodies and outside experts are cautiously optimistic about the eventual outcomes.

An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement

On his first full day in office, January 21, 2009, President Obama issued a call for increased openness in government.

Leading NASA’s Space Technology Research: Insights from Dr. Bobby Braun, NASA Chief Technologist

Cutting edge technology and innovation is more important today than ever before, as NASA develops missions of increasing complexity to understand the Earth, our solar system, and the universe. We spoke with Dr. Bobby Braun, Chief Technologist at NASA, who was a guest on The Business of Government Hour about NASA’s space technology program, its focus on research and development, forging disruptive innovation, and making a difference for the future. I share with you some of his insights from our conversation. 

Managing Organizational Integrity Risks

Risk is unavoidable in carrying out an organization’s objectives. Whether government agencies or private sector hospitals the work they do -- providing services to people -- is always surrounded by uncertainty.  While organizations cannot respond to all risks, one of the most salient lessons from past crises and negative reputational incidents is that both public and private sector organizations would benefit from establishing or reviewing and strengthening their risk management practices.

Building the 21st Century Coast Guard: A Conversation with Admiral Paul Zukunft, Commandant, United States Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard offers a unique and enduring value to the country. It serves on the front line for a nation whose economic prosperity and national security are inextricably linked to vast maritime interests. The 21st century Coast Guard operates in a complex and ever changing environment. Increasing demands across the maritime domain require near-term agility while strategically investing finite resources for tomorrow. As a unique force with both military and civil authorities, the Coast Guard and its missions touch nearly every facet of the nation’s expansive maritime domain.

Weekly Roundup for September 2, 2016

Michael J. Keegan

Obama weighs in on VA Commission’s health care suggestions. The Obama administration said it agreed with most of the VA Commission on Care’s recommendations to improve veterans health care, adding that the department had started efforts to implement many of them already. President Barack Obama said he disagreed with three of the 18 suggestions.

 

Effective Leadership in Network Collaboration: Lessons Learned from Continuum of Care Homeless Programs

These are very important questions and a recent IBM Center report,Effective Leadership in Network Collaboration: Lessons Learned from Continuum of Care Homeless Programs tackles these questions by examining collaboration within the context of homeless policy networks,an area receiving significant policy attention in recent years.

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Leadership Fellow & Host, The Business of Government Hour
IBM Center for The Business of Government
600 14th Street, NW Second Floor
Washington, DC 20005
United States

Michael has two decades of experience with both the private and public sectors encompassing strategic planning, business process redesign, strategic communications and marketing, performance management, change management, executive and team coaching, and risk-financing.

Michael leads the IBM Center for The Business of Government's leadership research. As the Center’s Leadership Fellow, his work is at the nexus of the Center’s mission – connecting research to practice. My work at that the Center complements frontline experience of actual government executives with practical insights from thought leaders who produce Center reports – merging real-world experience with practical scholarship. The purpose is not to offer definitive solutions to the many management challenges facing executives, but to provide a resource from which to draw practical, actionable recommendations on how best to confront such issues. Michael also hosts and produces the IBM Center’s The Business of Government Hour. He has interviewed and profiled hundreds of senior government executives from all levels of government as well as recognized thought leaders focusing on a range of public management issues and trends. Over the last four years, Michael has expanded both the show’s format and reach – now broadcasting informational and educational conversations with dedicated public servants on two radio stations five times a week and anywhere at anytime over the web and at iTunes. Michael is also the managing editor of The Business of Government magazine, with a targeted audience of close to 14,000 government and non-government professionals. Additionally, he manages the Center’s bi-annual proposal review process that awards stipends to independent, third party researchers tackling a wide range of public management issues.

Prior to joining the Center, Michael worked as a senior managing consultant with IBM GBS (Global Business Services) and as a principle consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Washington Consulting Practice (WCP). He led projects in the private and federal civilian sectors including the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, FEMA, and the Veterans Health Administration. Before entering consulting, he worked in the private sector as product development manager at a New York City based risk financing firm.

Since 2003, Mr. Keegan has been a reviewer for Association of Government Accountant’s Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR)© program, keeping abreast of the most recent developments in authoritative standards affecting federal accounting, financial reporting and performance measurement. He is also a member of APPAM, the NYU Alumni Association, and the Data Center & Cloud Talent, USA. He holds masters in public administration and management from New York University and was the founder of its DC alumni group as well as previous treasurer of the NYU graduate school’s alumni board.