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As we mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment
that gave women the right to vote, it is clear women have made progress at all
levels of government. Officials such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice during George W. Bush’s administration, senior advisor Valerie Jarrett during
Barack Obama’s administration, and Gina Haspel, CIA director since 2018, have
shaped history through their public service.
The past 100 years have also marked a shift in the federal
government, with each presidential administration relying more on its advisors,
or “A-Team.” Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow of Governance Studies Kathryn
Dunn Tenpas, in her new study, “The
President’s Advisors: An Analysis of Women on the President’s ‘A-Team’” found
that women have made up less than one fourth of this influential group during
the past 36 years.
Tenpas quotes presidential scholar Bradley Patterson, who
explains the importance of the presidents’ advice-givers. “Staff members have
zero legal authority in their own right, yet 100 percent of presidential
authority passes through their hands.”
These advisors serve as content filters for the president, informing every decision they make. The team is critically important, but even today, these advisors are overwhelmingly male.
Tenpas analyzes the National Journal’s list of “Decision
Makers,” which outlines the most influential members of a president’s team, to create
her A-team of the advisory positions that have consistently played a key role
in the past five administrations—from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. Here’s
what she learned about the A-teams that served from 1981 to 2017:
- Only 22% of 368 “Decision Makers” were women.
- Women served more in policy advisor roles than administrative,
communications, legal counsel, outreach or management.
- Women were less likely to have public-sector
backgrounds before reaching the top advisory level. Tenpas suggests women need
more access to stepping stone jobs inside government that are more likely to
pave the way for securing senior White House positions.
- Women are more likely to get hired after working
on a campaign, suggesting that campaigns provide a stepping stone into an
administration.
- Little pay disparity exists between men and
women, likely due in part to pay scales set for each position.
While women have earned more seats at the table – in 1981, only
5% of Reagan’s A-team members were women versus 34% in 2009 during the Obama administration—Tenpas’
research shows there’s still much progress to be made towards equality.
Though slow progress is better than no progress, women
remain dramatically underrepresented in presidential advisory roles. As the
presidential candidates consider who will influence their administration
beginning in 2021, it’s important that their advisors adequately reflect the
country they serve.
By Paul Hitlin
As our world becomes increasingly digital with new life-changing innovations on the way, federal agencies will need digital, technological and innovation expertise to provide Americans with necessary services. As the country experiences the widespread outbreak of COVID-19, virtual access to government services is proving more essential than ever.
The Partnership for Public Service and the Tech Talent Project released a new report today, “Tech Talent for 21st Century Government,” that focuses on how federal agencies can deliver strong policies and services to advance the country’s ability to innovate. The report highlights a subset of key presidentially appointed and senior-level positions critical for driving innovation in government and a need for leaders who understand the link between technology and organizational effectiveness. Any president planning his policy and management agenda must consider the potential to enhance government capabilities with new technologies.
Built on recommendations from dozens of current and former federal leaders across the political spectrum, the report identifies a subset of critical leadership positions across government and the responsibilities that come with them. The report:
- Pinpoints a wide range of key presidentially appointed and other senior-level positions critical to the government’s ability to deliver strong policies and services, and to advancing our country’s ability to innovate.
- Outlines the technology-related competencies and skills needed by leaders and their teams.
- Surveys the technological landscape at five Cabinet-level departments, outlining their challenges, opportunities and key positions for driving tech innovation.
The White House and agency leaders must build technology-literate leadership teams that set policies for government modernization and provide support government-wide. Ultimately, modern technical expertise is as vital for leaders to have as economic, legal and financial expertise. if we are to create a well-functioning government that works for the people of the United States.
Download the full report.
By Kristine Simmons and Kayla Shanahan
America is “big” by most measures, from the size of our population and land mass, to the boldness of our ideas and our global influence. The challenges facing our government are big too. Delivering services to over 300 million Americans and leading the free world require great talent and exceptional leaders in public service.
The opportunity to serve the American people is an honor, and
those in Senate-confirmed presidential appointments assume some of the toughest
jobs in government. They oversee
billions of dollars in federal spending and thousands of employees, are
accountable to the president and to Congress and work under the scrutiny of the
public and the media. It is challenging work, but uniquely rewarding; many
current and former federal leaders say that public service is both the hardest
and the best professional experience of their careers. Few opportunities exist outside of government
to work with the best and brightest minds on a mission that matters to
thousands – and even millions – of people at home and around the world.
The public benefits when individuals from diverse backgrounds and
experiences use their talents for the public good – so it should be easy for
those who want to serve to do so.
Unfortunately, it’s not. The appointments process is difficult to
navigate even for experienced government insiders; for individuals who are
coming from academia, the private or nonprofit sectors, it is baffling. Government loses out when the process discourages
people with needed expertise, new perspectives on long standing problems, and solutions
from outside of the public sector from serving.
The appointment process for Senate-confirmed positions is longer,
more public, and more onerous than ever. To date, 63 of
President Trump’s nominees have removed themselves from consideration or had
their nominations withdrawn, and some previously interested and highly
qualified individuals will no longer consider a presidential appointment. Why?
- Long wait
time to start position: Most prospective appointees are expected to
leave their pre-nomination jobs in the time between their nomination and
confirmation, even when confirmation is not guaranteed and a start date is
unknown. Though most nominees will eventually make it through the process – historically,
the Senate confirmed over 98% of Cabinet appointees – the length
of time from nomination through confirmation continues to increase, often for
reasons unrelated to the nominee. In 2019, the
average confirmation process lasted 136 days – limiting the pool of prospective
candidates to only those who are willing and able to forego income for long
stretches of time.
- Arduous
vetting process with limited support: Positions of
public trust require a rigorous vetting process, and appropriately so. But the process as it exists today is complicated
by the risk of innocent mistakes and missteps. Candidates must complete hundreds of
pages of paperwork with questions on their background, health, financial
holdings, and personal life. The online
form SF-86 for
background investigations is 127 pages, and just one of the forms required
of nominees. While it is critical to vet candidates thoroughly, expectations
seem out of step with the lives that many senior leaders live today. For
example, prospective candidates must report the date of every encounter with a
foreign associate going back five, ten or fifteen years, and sometimes all the
way back to age 18. In today’s globalized world it is unrealistic to expect
individuals to recall and document every interaction with a foreign associate
years later. As a result, many candidates incorrectly complete or simply cannot
accurately complete the necessary paperwork.
- Financial
implications for candidates: Candidates must provide highly detailed
information about their financial holdings, tax filings, and business dealings.
Many hire accountants and private attorneys out-of-pocket just to compile the
necessary paperwork. Once their financials are reviewed, candidates and their
families often are forced to divest assets of significant value, even though
the candidate will likely only serve in that capacity for a short tenure. Several
post-service obligations may further deter prospective appointees.
- Highly
publicized process for candidates and their families: Media
coverage of executive branch appointments is higher than ever. While public
officials expect to be in the spotlight, privacy no longer extends to their family
members, who remain private citizens. Nominees endure public scrutiny, often at
the professional and personal expense of themselves and their families.
Recruiting America’s top talent is critical to delivering a more
effective government to the American people. The Partnership for Public Service continues research
on the pain points of the appointment process, providing recommendations for improvements
to ensure that talented Americans are not deterred from serving our country as
a presidential appointee.
The 2020 presidential campaign is well underway as the first
primaries and caucuses rapidly approach. Soon, presidential hopefuls will need
to assemble a team to plan a transition — either to a new administration or a
second term.
One of the most important tasks for any administration is filling more than 4,000 political appointments. Yet, as Amanda Patarino recently wrote in the Kennedy School Review, progress is hampered for transitions teams because official listings and data about these positions is often problematic and unreliable.
One of the primary sources of information about political
appointments is the Plum
Book, published by Congress and the Government Publishing Office after
each presidential election. Unfortunately, as Patarino points out, data in the Plum
Book is often “outdated, unreliable and cumbersome.” The information is hard to
understand even for Washington insiders, adding to the challenge for government
to attract the best talent from across the country. Both federal agencies and transition
teams would benefit from official data that is in user-friendly formats and updated
consistently.
The Center for Presidential Transition and the Washington
Post provide an appointment
tracker that can help transition teams understand
the appointment process. The tracker, which is updated weekly, chronicles the nominations
of more than 740 key Senate-confirmed positions.
Even small improvements to data on government
positions and the Plum Book will benefit both transition teams and federal
agencies. And the public benefits from improved transparency and real-time
information.
Highlights:
- There is a significant change in personnel expected in 2020 regardless of the result of the election.
- Leadership transitions are among the most difficult organizational changes to implement and have significant implications for federal agencies.
- Human Resources in public-sector organizations is significantly less involved in the development of the business strategy and in strategic decision making than in private-sector companies.
- The Partnership developed the CHCO Checklist to address the projected increase of leadership transitions, the complexity and criticality of their execution and the need for agency leaders to partner with their HR counterparts.
Regardless of the election result, hundreds of new appointees will be vetted, confirmed and serve over the next four years. To date, there are 228 vacancies in key positions in the current administration. 51 of these vacancies have formal nominations and are expected to be filled in the coming months. Historically, 43% of the top three positions (secretary, deputy secretary, undersecretary) turnover in the first six months of a second term administration. In today’s fast-paced, constantly changing environment, federal agencies must be prepared for leadership transitions.
Leadership transitions are among the most difficult organizational changes to implement and have significant implications for federal agencies. The effectiveness of an incoming leader’s onboarding is directly correlated with the agency’s performance, level of employee engagement and retention. Yet only 45% of federal executives stated that their onboarding got them up to speed quickly.
Talent management and workforce planning are the most pressing challenges in today’s federal environment. Of the 35 GAO high-risk areas, 16 were attributed to mission critical skill gaps. However, according to the Boston Consulting Group, Human Resources in public-sector organizations is significantly less involved in the development of the business strategy and in strategic decision making than in private-sector companies.
New checklist for CHCOs
To address the projected increase of leadership transitions, the complexity and criticality of their execution and the need for agency leaders to partner with their HR counterparts, the Partnership developed the CHCO Checklist for CHCOs (chief human capital officers) and new appointees. This guide outlines leading practices and key actions CHCOs can take to support appointees during their first weeks and position themselves as a trusted strategic advisor to help appointees implement key priorities.
Each agency’s CHCO, or equivalent is responsible for developing an effective and comprehensive onboarding process for the ongoing stream of appointees into their agency. For each appointee, CHCOs are expected to create a tailored program to accommodate their varying backgrounds and preferences, as well as unexpected conflicts that will take priority over onboarding activities.
Each leadership transition offers the opportunity for the organization to evaluate the progress made towards the agency’s strategic goals and course correct if necessary. While most onboarding programs consist of both familiarizing new leaders with their agency and the federal government, many do not prepare them to make strategic decisions on how to advance the agency’s mission. Only 41% of federal executives stated they were briefed on organizational priorities during onboarding.
CHCOs should use these early interactions to deepen their understanding
of new leader’s priorities and assess the organization’s ability to execute.
Based on these insights, CHCOs should determine how to utilize talent as a
lever for implementation as well as align the agency’s human capital strategy
to support the advancement of their agency’s mission.
The CHCO Checklist includes insights and advice from current and former CHCOs, appointees and other federal leaders. It can be found along with many other transition resources at the Center for Presidential Transition, the first permanent repository for documents and guidance on presidential transitions.
By David Marchick
As the 2020 presidential election heats up, President Trump and the myriad Democratic candidates will not only have to campaign, they also will have to prepare to govern for the next four years – preparation that takes place well before voters go to the polls. Doing so will mean putting campaign promises into policy, recruiting capable teams and managing the largest and most complex organization in the world – the U.S. government.
Preparing to govern well in
advance of Election Day is not an option – it is a necessity given the
magnitude of our nation’s domestic and national security challenges. After all,
national emergencies do not wait until a president is ready; they force the president
and their team to be ready. President Obama was forced to deal with the
nation’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression before he even took
the oath of office. President George W. Bush managed the diplomacy associated
with the downing of a U.S. plane in China in his third month in office, and
only five months later, he rallied the nation after the September 11 attacks.
The need for effective planning
is particularly acute for the Democratic challengers who will start from square
one if elected, recruiting 4,000 political appointees including 1,200 who
require Senate confirmation; preparing a $4.7 trillion budget; implementing a
policy agenda; and learning how to manage a workforce of 2 million
civilian employees and 4 million active duty and reserve troops.
Planning for a second term also requires significant work, coordination and execution for any sitting President seeking a second term. A second term creates an opportunity for fresh eyes, fresh lags and renewed focus on policy implementation. A new report from the Center for Presidential Transition shows that presidents need to be prepared for significant personnel turnover in the second term.
New data from the Partnership for Public Service shows that
from about Election Day through the first six months of the second terms of
Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama, 42% of their Cabinet secretaries, deputy
secretaries and undersecretaries left their jobs. Nine percent left prior to
Inauguration Day. These changes included six of President Clinton’s Cabinet
secretaries, six for President Bush and seven for President Obama.
Serving in a senior level position
is exhausting and high pressured. Only 11% of the top officials in the last
three two-term administrations lasted all eight years in office. Indeed, the fifth year of a second term presidency,
much like the first year of a new president, creates an optimum moment of
political power and a chance for significant accomplishments.
On November 7, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition launched its effort for the 2020 cycle, preparing to work with President Trump’s team, career government officials responsible for transition activities and the various Democratic candidates and their teams. The Center plans to bring unparalleled capabilities to this effort – an updated Presidential Transition Guide which was downloaded more than 11,000 times since 2016; detailed checklists for new agency officials; coordination with the talented and dedicated career federal officials tasked with preparing for either a new president or second term under the Presidential Transition Act; and helping thousands of Americans interested in serving in the administration get ready for the detailed vetting, clearance and ethics processes associated with federal employment.
These efforts are just the beginning. To learn more about our transition efforts and how to ensure that all administrations are set up for success, subscribe to our newsletter or contact us.
David Marchick is a retired executive from the Carlyle Group serving in a volunteer role as Director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth as a Senior Of Counsel at the firm Covington & Burling. He also serves on a number of corporate and non-profit boards of directors.
