Chiefs Directory provides guide to key federal decision-makers

Today, Government Executive is pleased to debut the Chiefs Directory, the first-ever digest of contact information for nearly 500 officials whose portfolios encompass acquisition, finance, information technology and human capital.

Because some "chief" positions are relatively new, agencies still are figuring out where they fit and what titles they should hold. So compiling the data for the Chiefs Directory required weeks of work by Bruce Brownson and his team at KnowWho, specialists in VIP data compilation. The directory will be regularly updated and refreshed online.

Congress and the White House want chiefs in key administrative posts because there's virtue in accountability. All handle large management initiatives and sign off on actions with wide-reaching impact for government's business leaders and their staffs. Peer behind massive personnel system changes, consolidation and sharing of administrative services, implementation of broad-scope security and information sharing initiatives and financial management improvements, and you'll find C titleholders.

Why track the chiefs? Because we believe, as do many in government, that there is much to be gained through collaboration across the C titles. Each has its own council, but no cross-cutting forum yet exists to aid in cross-fertilization, the sharing of lessons learned and the simple, yet profound, process of improving communication.

This is our modest contribution and, we hope, the beginning of something bigger.