THE DAILY FED
Appointees to Get Oriented
About 170 political appointees and nominees will gather Saturday for an orientation on working in Washington, The Washington Post reported.
Deputy and assistant secretaries, chiefs of staff and other high-level appointees will meet at the State Department for a day-long discussion of leadership and management at the highest levels of the federal government. Vice President Al Gore will address the appointees.
"It's probably the first time such a large group of top appointees has gotten together to focus on leadership and management in this intense way," said Patricia McGinnis, president of the Council for Excellence in Government, which is sponsoring the retreat.
In January President Clinton and Vice President Gore held a retreat for Cabinet members to discuss the administration's goals for Clinton's second term. Saturday's retreat is the first orientation for sub-Cabinet officials that the administration has held.
The group will look at improving program results by reviewing case studies on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Former Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla., and former White House congressional lobbyist Pat Griffin will talk about relationships with Congress. Participants will also study how to work with the media and how to gain the public's trust.
"We hope that this kind of session will be institutionalized and happen at least every four years," McGinnis said.
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