The Council for Excellence in Government, a nonprofit group that advocates for improving the government, announced today that it is shutting down on Feb. 15. Most of the Council’s programs and staff will be absorbed into the Partnership for Public Service. John Macomber, chair of the Council’s Board of Trustees, released a statement today that blamed the recession:
For more than 25 years, the Council has enjoyed a reputation for leadership and innovation and has served as a catalyst for constructive change at all levels of government. However, the current economic climate has made it extremely difficult to raise the funding required to continue and grow these vital programs. Moving these programs to the Partnership will improve efficiency, increase their impact and provide needed services to more government executives and organizations.
The Excellence in Government Fellows training program for mid-level federal career executives, which has trained more than 2,700 employees over the last 20 years, is one of the main programs moving to the Partnership. The Senior Advisors to Government Executives (SAGE) program will also move to the Partnership, as will the organization of Public Service Recognition Week each May.
The Council helped lay the groundwork for E-Government and the creation of the chief information officer position, organized town hall meetings between federal officials and members of the public, and released the so-called Prune Book every four years to profile top management jobs for new presidential appointees.
