Government Executive - Authors - EIG Staff

Al Gore and More: EIG 2013 as Told by Your Tweets

EIG Staff — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:24:00 -0400

Some might have questioned whether the concept of “excellence” in government was even worth talking about this year—with the sequester, furloughs and the potential for lean budgets on the horizon. But a lineup of the government’s best and brightest—including approximately ~~800~~ 900 attendees—showed that the pursuit of excellence was alive and well at this year’s Excellence in Government conference.

With sessions covering everything from leveraging data for better decision-making to building mission-motivated teams, keynotes took federal leaders through 20 years of reform efforts and challenged them to continue building the government of tomorrow.

Highlights included:

Vice President Al Gore returning to reflect on the reform movement he helped create
Cass Sunstein’s pitch for a simplified, less complex government
Addresses from Beth McGrath, Deputy Chief Management Officer at the Department of Defense, Dan Tangherlini, Acting Administrator of GSA and Lt. Gen. John Wissler of the United States Marine Corps
A closing address from Seth Kahan, author of Getting Innovation Right
And countless opportunities for government leaders to come together and discuss shared learning and innovative ways of improving the business of government.

With an enthusiastic crowd taking to Twitter, using the hashtags #EIG2013 and #BeExcellent, to share their thoughts, insights and pictures, we thought it’d be appropriate to share the stories from Excellence in Government 2013 through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand:

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4 Times Good Government Has Done Excellent Things

EIG Staff — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:24:00 -0400

Contrary to what a few cynics might believe, the name “Excellence in Government” isn’t meant to be ironic. Those of us who work in and write about government know that there are excellent—often times extraordinary—things happening in government everyday.

So, we unreservedly assert that good government CAN do great things—and we look forward to celebrating those achievements with the federal community May 13 – 14 at the Excellence in Government Conference in Washington, D.C.

Confirmed speakers include:

Vice President Al Gore
Dan Tangherlini, Acting Administrator, General Services Administration
Beth McGrath, Deputy Chief Management Officer, Department of Defense
Lieutenant General John Wissler, Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, Headquarters Marine Corps
Rhea Suh, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of the Interior
Nani Coloretti, Assistant Secretary for Management, Department of the Treasury
And many others

Join us by signing up to attend or tweet us @ExcelGov and @GovExec to share how you and your agency plan to be excellent.

Below, four examples of when good government has done excellent things:

1. March 1, 1936 – Hoover Dam Completed Two Years Ahead of Schedule

2. July 20, 1969 – Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon

3. Aug. 6, 2012 – Curiosity Rover Lands in Gale Crater on Mars

4. Oct. 30, 2012 – Federal Government Coordinates Massive Response to Hurricane Sandy, The Second Costliest Hurricane in U.S. History

Tell us about other times good government has done excellent things in the comments below or tweet @ExcelGov .

How will you #BeExcellent?

Learn more about Excellence in Government .

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Photo: See All 5 Living Presidents Together

EIG Staff — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:41:00 -0400

From left, President Barack Obama, former president George W. Bush, former president William J. Clinton former President George H.W. Bush and former president Jimmy Carter arrive for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Dallas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Photo: Inaugural Practice Parade

EIG Staff — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:21:00 -0500

U.S. Service members with the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region participate in a dress rehearsal for the presidential inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2013. More than 5,000 U.S. Service members will participate in or support the inauguration. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. David M. Sharp/Released)

[via U.S. Department of Defense on Flickr]

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