Author Archive

Tom Shoop

Tom Shoop

Former editor in chief

Tom Shoop is the former executive vice president and editor in chief at Government Executive Media Group, where he oversaw editorial operations at Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One and Route Fifty. He started as associate editor of Government Executive magazine in 1989; launched the company’s flagship website, GovExec.com, in 1996; and served as editor in chief from 2007 to 2021.
Tom Shoop is the former executive vice president and editor in chief at Government Executive Media Group, where he oversaw editorial operations at Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One and Route Fifty. He started as associate editor of Government Executive magazine in 1989; launched the company’s flagship website, GovExec.com, in 1996; and served as editor in chief from 2007 to 2021.
Management

What happens to government when a president bows out

An incumbent’s decision not to seek reelection complicates more than the electoral process.

Management

The continuing irresolution to fund the federal government

COMMENTARY | Congress just keeps getting worse at passing spending bills. There are consequences.

Management

That Time Abraham Lincoln went to a war zone to escape office-seekers

The front lines of the Civil War were a vacation compared to being literally stalked in Washington.

News

Saying goodbye to a giant in government journalism: Charlie Clark, 1953-2023

Clark, a former senior correspondent for GovExec, died Wednesday after a brief illness.

Management

That Time acronymic management fads were all the rage

When an alphabet soup of concepts for organizational improvement swept through government. 

Workforce

Meet the long-shot presidential candidate who wants term limits for federal employees

Vivek Ramaswamy also pledges to eliminate unions, move workers out of Washington and end “pro-lazy” remote work.

Management

That Time the Federal Retirement Wave Never Happened

Almost 25 years after the first dire warnings, we’re still waiting on the tsunami. 

Management

That Time Even Minimum Telework Was Viewed With Wonder and Fear

Back then, it was called “telecommuting,” and managers didn’t know what to make of it. Some still don’t.

Management

That Time NASA Blew Up a Rocket and People Called it a Success (No, They Didn’t)

The “failure is not an option” standard demanded of the space agency has long hampered its efforts.

Oversight

That Time Federal Bank Examiners Were Told to Play Nice

The Trump administration gave overseers a culture-shifting directive: Don’t be mean.

Management

That Time the Federal Government Was Ruled By Czars

How a term for Russian oligarchs came to be applied to American government officials.