Profiles in Public Service

Latest Episodes:

Stories from Humans of Public Service Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

The government is filled with public servants leading in technology, innovation, and improving government customer experiences for the public. On this episode we hear from Brian Whittaker and Amber Chaudhry, who are not only two such leaders, but also share a passion for creating support networks for emerging public servants from a diversity of backgrounds. Whittaker is the founder of Humans of Public Service, an organization and project he started to share the stories of public servants from across the country on social media. One of the first people interviewed by Humans of Public Service was Chaudhry, an emerging government leader and current Customer Experience Lead at the Department of Housing and Urban Development where she works to implement a more human-centered approach to government customer service. She is also the founder of Muslim Americans in Public Service and a former Presidential Management Fellow.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Reach out to Brian Whittaker and Humans of Public Service:

Check out the stories of public servants featured on Humans of Public Service.
Learn more about the Partnership’s Federal Innovation Council.

Reach out to Amber Chaudhry:

Learn more about Muslim Americans in Public Service.
Learn more about the Presidential Management Fellowship.
Learn more about opportunities with AmeriCorps.

Diplomacy, Diversity, and Dialogue at the U.S. Embassy to Israel Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Samantha Sutton, a 2022 Service to America Medals® Emerging Leader finalist and current Political Advisor for the United States Mission to the United Nations, shares her story of working in diplomacy as a career civil servant who started as an intern with the State Department. Sutton has worked on Middle East peace issues across three different presidential administrations and has provided important continuity during transitions to advance peace in the region. Sutton joined Profiles in Public Service from Israel where she was most recently serving as chief of staff to Ambassador Tom Nides, alongside Fred Wilson, the U.S. Embassy to Israel’s first Chief Diversity Officer. Wilson led efforts to encourage greater dialogue among senior leaders, embassy staff, and the diverse communities Mission Jerusalem works alongside. Sutton and Wilson discuss their accomplishments and challenges working on the Israel-Palestinian conflict as well as their suggestions for emerging leaders interested in pursuing international relations and diplomacy work through the federal government.

This episode is the fourth of four highlighting some of our 2022 Service to America Medals® finalists. Nominate an outstanding public servant for a 2023 Sammies medal today through our nomination form!

Tune in on November 23rd at 8 pm on Bloomberg Television and the Partnership’s YouTube Channel linked in our show notes.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional Resources:

Reach out to Sam Sutton and Fred Wilson on LinkedIn.
Learn more about internships and fellowships at the Department of State.
Learn more about the United States Mission to the United Nations.

Exploring “The Peaceful Transfer of Power” Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

The peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to another, or from a first to second term, is the cornerstone of American democracy. In this episode of “Profiles in Public Service,” Rachel Klein-Kircher and Loren DeJonge Schulman are joined by three practitioners and experts on presidential transitions who discuss the major challenges the Biden-Harris team had to overcome during the toughest transition in modern U.S. history, how a new administration identifies, recruits and nominates the right people to fill the nearly 4,000 presidential appointee positions who serve across government, and lessons that can be learned by examining the complex process that is fundamental to our democracy.

Our expert guests include:

Gautam Raghavan, the current director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel for the Biden Administration and a former presidential team lead for Biden-Harris transition.
David Marchick, author of, “The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of Presidential Transitions,” a joint project between The University of Virginia Press, UVA’s Miller Center, and the Partnership for Public Service, released in October 2022.
Valerie Smith Boyd, current director of the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition.

A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional resources:

Purchase “The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of Presidential Transitions.”
Read Valerie Smith Boyd’s blog post about the importance of chronicling presidential transitions.
Learn more about the Center for Presidential Transition.
Listen to Transition Lab, a podcast from the Partnership for Public Service.
Learn more about the White House Personnel Office.
Submit your resume to serve as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration.
Explore internship opportunities at The Executive Office of the President.
Apply to be a White House Fellow.

A Deep Dive into Ocean Science and Scientific Integrity Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

Hear from one of our incredible 2022 Service to America Medals® finalists, Craig McLean, who spent four decades at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration transforming our nation's ocean exploration efforts to better understand how changes in ocean activity relate to global warming, severe weather and marine life. McLean is also joined by Benjamin Friedman, the agency’s longest serving deputy under secretary for operations, who oversees the programmatic and day-to-day management of NOAA’s national and international operations. McLean and Friedman discuss NOAA’s ongoing commitment to scientific integrity and strengthening public trust in government, as well as why those interested in protecting the environment and our oceans from the effects of climate change should explore federal careers.

This episode is the third of four highlighting some of our 2022 Service to America Medals® finalists. Nominate an outstanding public servant for a 2023 Sammies medal today through our nomination form!

A complete transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional resources:

Read Craig McLean's Service to America Medals finalist bio.
Read Benjamin Friedman's bio from NOAA.
Learn more about NOAA.
See opportunities for students at NOAA.
Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship.
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program.

Keeping Promises to The 9/11 Community Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

As we honor the 21st anniversary of September 11th, we will be hearing from Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® finalist Rupa Bhattacharyya, who revitalized the federal program responsible for awarding claims to victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks, including the families of those who were on site or responded that day, as well as people who lived, worked or went to school near the attack sites. Serving as the special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund at the Department of Justice from 2016 until 2022, Bhattacharyya and her team transformed the fund from an under-resourced, limited and short-term endeavor into a unique long-standing federal program with an unlimited pool of funding. Bhattacharyya discusses how she overcame enormous challenges to ensure that the program continues to meet its obligations to the 9/11 community, expand its outreach to eligible claimants, and have sufficient funding through 2090 to compensate those whose health may be affected even decades later.

This episode is the second of four highlighting some of our incredible 2022 Service to America Medals® finalists. Nominate an outstanding public servant for a 2023 Sammies Medal today through our nomination form!

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional resources:

Read Rupa Bhattacharyya’s Service to America Medals finalist bio.
Learn more about the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Learn more about The World Trade Center Health Program federal health program.
Watch Jon Stewart’s testimony for expanding funding for benefits for 9/11 first responders.
Read a message from Special Master Bhattacharyya.

Collaborating with Communities to Improve Health Equity Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

Today’s “Profiles in Public Service” guests have provided care to communities across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Service to America Medals® finalist Suma Nair launched a major federal initiative to ensure that community-based health centers could access lifesaving resources to adequately respond to COVID-19. Ian Munar from International Community Health Services in Seattle, Washington, and Noah Nesin, the chief medical officer at Penobscot Community Health Care in Penobscot, Maine, witnessed the tremendous impact that Nair’s program at the Health Resources and Services Administration had on the individuals and families they serve, many of whom are from populations experiencing economic, geographic, cultural, linguistic or other barriers to accessing high-personalized health care services. These three public servants discuss their experiences working in community health care, and why collaboration between federal and local leaders is critical to improving health equity in America.

This episode is the first of four highlighting some of our incredible 2022 Service to America Medals® finalists. Nominate an outstanding public servant for a 2023 Sammies Medal today through our nomination form!

A complete transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional resources:

Read Suma Nair’s Service to America Medals finalist bio
Find a health center in your community.
Opportunities at HRSA for Early-Career Professionals
Learn more about HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care.
Learn more about International Community Health Services in Seattle, WA
Learn more about Penobscot Community Health Care in Penobscot, Maine.
Read more about the legacy of Theresa Knowles from PCHC.

The Customer Is Always Right Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Co-hosts Loren DeJonge Schulman and Rachel Klein-Kircher speak with two experts about how agencies are working to improve their performance and transform their customer experience efforts as outlined in the President’s Management Agenda—the Biden administration’s overarching vision for building a more effective federal government. Our guests include Robin Carnahan, the current administrator of the General Services Administration, and Robert Shea, a national managing principal of public policy at Grant Thornton Public Sector and a former public servant. Carnahan and Shea unpack how and why the President’s Management Agenda is created, what is unique about the current administration’s priorities, and why every interaction that an individual has with the government—from accessing benefits to securing natural disaster aid—is an opportunity to build public trust and prove that government works.

A complete transcript is available here.

Additional resources:

Check out the Partnership's research, solutions, and impact stories about efforts to build public trust in government and improve customer experiences.
Robin Carnahan’s bio.
Learn more about the Tech Modernization Fund and Cloud.gov as mentioned by Administrator Carnahan.
Robert Shea’s bio.
Listen to the FedHead’s podcast hosted by Shea to hear more about government management from government leaders and public policy experts.

Civil Servants Fighting for Civil Rights Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Stuart Ishimaru and Jacinta Ma, two longtime civil servants, join “Profiles in Public Service” to discuss their careers advocating for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce both inside and outside of government. Ishimaru and Ma worked together at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to uphold civil rights and enforce federal laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace. Both guests discuss their decisions to apply their law training to pursue “good guy work” in the federal government and with policy advocacy nonprofits, how increased diversity and representation has impacted both the federal workforce and their careers as Asian Americans, and how the EEOC continues to expand its reach and access to its resources for populations and communities across the country.

About our Speakers:

Stuart Ishimaru worked as a former commissioner at the EEOC, nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003, and as acting chairman of the agency under President Obama.
Jacinta Ma served as a former senior advisor to Ishimaru while he was acting chairman and is now the current director of the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs at the EEOC.

A full transcript is available here.

Additional Resources:

Watch Ishimaru's testimony before Congress in support of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
Follow @USEEOC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Government Gets the Netflix Treatment Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

"Profiles in Public Service" takes a comedic turn with guests Jon Wolf and Jon Cohen, partners at Fair Point Productions, who discuss their work as the executive producers of “The G Word with Adam Conover,” a new comedy docuseries on Netflix. “The G Word” explores the many ways our government works behind the scenes— from monitoring our food production and predicting the weather to treating serious diseases and more. Wolf and Cohen shared what they learned about how individuals can make an impact on government and in their communities, the benefits and challenges of using comedy to amplify messages about our government, and what it was like to work with President Barack Obama, who is featured in the show. Fair Point Productions produced “The G Word” in partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s company, Higher Ground Productions.

A complete transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional Resources

Watch the trailer for The G Word and view the whole series on Netflix!
Read “The Fifth Risk” by bestselling author, Michael Lewis

Government's Next Generation Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

Most young people do not understand the full breadth of government jobs available—or that there are public service careers for nearly every academic major and course of study. In this episode, Partnership for Public Service President and CEO Max Stier moderates a conversation at the 2022 SXSW EDU conference on the federal government’s talent ecosystem and how to recruit and retain the next generation of public servants. Listeners will hear from three incredible speakers working in the federal government and career services about how young people can find their entry point into the public sector and how federal leaders can reduce barriers to working in public service, particularly for underrepresented groups including those with disabilities.

Episode speakers include:

Kiran Ahuja, the director of the Office of Personnel Management Director who leads recruitment and talent management for the federal government and its more than 2 million employees.
Tara Duprey, a career and professional development leader at George Washington University’s Center for Career Services.
Callie Higgins, a materials research engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Higgins is a winner of the 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals'® Emerging Leader award, given to young federal employees who make important contributions early in their federal careers.

A complete transcript of this episode can be found here.

Additional Resources:

Refer to the Partnership's Go Government site to learn more about applying to opportunities to work in the federal government, how to use USA Jobs and more!
Learn more about The Pathways Program which offers federal internship and employment opportunities for current students, recent graduates and those with an advanced degree.

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