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As presidential campaign comes into focus, candidates must focus on effective transition planning. Read our statement

Watch the latest “Our Government Explained” video describing the role of the presidential transition process in preparing a president-elect to run the country. Watch here

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Since 2008, the Partnership for Public Service has been working with presidential candidates, their transition teams and incumbent administrations to ensure smooth and effective presidential transitions.

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Political Appointments Over Time

See how the Senate confirmation process is taking longer than ever before for top positions in recent presidential administrations.

Transition Timeline

Stay informed about upcoming milestones and statutory requirements for presidential transition teams, federal agencies and the White House.

Ready to Serve®

Our Ready to Serve resources give aspiring political appointees the information and tools needed to navigate the federal appointments process. We help prospective appointees learn about possible roles, background checks, ethics requirements, and, for the most senior-level positions, the Senate confirmation process.

Ready to Govern®

Our Ready to Govern program helps political appointees accelerate their impact by helping them better understand their roles and the unique aspects of leading in the federal government.

“I cannot imagine doing a presidential transition in a modern era without the Partnership.

 

Ted Kaufman, co-chair of the Biden-Harris transition team; former senator of Delaware; Center Advisory Board

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Latest Blogs and Research

How federal transition service providers support effective presidential transitions
Presidential transitions are complex operations that involve coordination across the federal government. A handful of agencies play a crucial role in preparing the government for an effective transfer of power. As election day approaches, here is a brief overview of these agencies, their responsibilities and how they support presidential transition planning.  General Services Administration   GSA…
Presidential Transition
October 10, 2024
What is the presidential transition process? 
Presidential campaigns get all the attention, but transition work is also happening right now.   Although Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump started transition planning later than is ideal, both now have teams in place working on policy issues and identifying potential political appointees in the event of victory.  The president engages the…
Presidential Transition
October 08, 2024
Presidential appointments are hard to track – and growing 
Every new president faces the management challenge of filling out the leadership ranks of federal agencies with more than 4,000 presidential appointees. The most senior of those positions must go through an increasingly difficult and lengthy Senate confirmation process. While figuring out how many positions require Senate confirmation would seem to be straightforward, getting a…
Political Appointment / Presidential Transition
September 26, 2024

Political Appointee Tracker

Launched in 2016 with The Washington Post, the Political Appointee Tracker has been following roughly 800 of the 1,200 political appointed positions that require Senate confirmation, including Cabinet secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsels and ambassadors.

“The Center is a great convening place for expertise on presidential transitions without an agenda other than making government work.”

 

Josh Bolten, former chief of staff to President George W. Bush

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