Are you a fed tired of the knee-jerk government bashing that’s so in vogue these days? The social networking site GovLoop thinks its time for all of you to stand up and yell at the top of your lungs, “I don’t suck!” Yes, GovLoop is holding a “Government Doesn’t Suck” rally tomorrow, alongside Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive event. Go to the south end of the Air and Space Museum and look for the people with green shirts with “Chicks Dig Govies” sign. (Apparently that’s an official GovLoop rally slogan. And I…
Monthly Archives: October, 2010
The Defense Department released a free smart phone application for service members, veterans and their families to track emotional health issues, according to a DoD news release. The T2 MoodTracker application differs from others on the market in that it focuses on deployment-related behavioral health issues such as post-traumatic stress, brain injury and depression. Using a set of 10 descriptions or feeling anchors for each health issue, users can rate their feelings and make note of events or experiences that affect their health. This information can be tracked over days, weeks or months and used as a self-help tool or to share…
One unknown at the Pentagon has finally been answered. Teri Takai, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the Defense Department’s chief information officer, will finally assume her new role on Nov. 7, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Tuesday. “The new CIO position will be central to these efforts as the DoD continues to transform its IT capabilities to meet the enormous mission critical needs of the U.S. military,” according to a DoD news release There was some uncertainty about Takai filling the position after her nomination hearing, set for Aug. 3, was canceled. Under Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ cost-saving plan, it’s unclear whether the…
I’ve heard several remedies in the past few days for curing government’s acquisition woes. The latest: turn the tables and create an industry scorecard for government’s past performance on acquisitions. At least that’s what one fed proposed during the Executive Leadership Council CXO Roundtable event on Tuesday. The candid discussion among nearly 500 feds and industry covered healthcare, cybersecurity and consolidation issues facing government. Here are some of the results from a poll conducted at the event: – 53 percent think the implementation of meaningful use requirements (financial incentives and rewards for meaningful use of certified electronic health records) will…
Top government officials agree that far more cybersecurity professionals are needed to defend the nations networks and solve one of its most pressing issues: hiring and retaining a qualified cyber workforce. But defining exactly what those roles are and what skills are needed is the challenging part. “That’s really the issues,” said Nancy Kichak, associate director of strategic human resource policy at the Office of Personnel Management at the Executive Leadership Conference on Tuesday. “Despite the fact that we all use the terminology cybersecurity, just what does it mean? And how do you definite it, and how do you identify…
On Oct. 25 at their annual Executive Leadership Conference ACT-IAC honored private sector workers and feds for outstanding performances in different areas of IT management. The American Council for Technology (ACT) and the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) is a public/private non-profit partnership dedicated to improving government through better IT management. David Wennergren, deputy assistance secretary of defense and the Defense Department’s deputy chief information officer, won the President’s award for his efforts to encourage government managers to pursue collaboration opportunities with the private sector. Chairman Andy Robinson said that this year’s awardees represent forward-thinking in IT management and leadership in…
Starting early next year, federal agencies will have access to telepresence centers at General Services Administration buildings across the country. The technology will initially span across 14 GSA buildings including 11 regional offices and central offices, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson told reporters today at the Executive Leadership Conference in Williamsburg, Va. “People appear much more life like” and “they engage in eye contact with each other,” said Johnson about the new technologies. “The sound really works, and you feel as if you’re sitting at the same table even though you’re sitting virtually.” The systems will be set up in rooms throughout…
It’s happy trails time for OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass, who plans to leave the influential watchdog group he founded in 1983 to head the Bauman Foundation, according to a mass e-mail sent out this afternoon. From his experience in the nonprofit sector, Bass said in the message, “I have learned there comes a time when an organization’s founder needs to move on in order to strengthen the very organization the founder loves.” Bass added that he is “confident that the group’s commitment to high-quality work and smart policy advocacy will continue, and I have no doubt that OMB…
Has all this talk about federal pay and public perceptions of federal workers got you down? During a panel discussion on sustainable employment practices such as telework, Danette Campbell, a senior advisor for telework at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said that federal workers have gotten a really bad wrap. She said in her career in the private sector, sometimes her thoughts about federal employees ran negative as well. But then she joined the federal government, and was impressed with what she saw. I have never worked with such hard working, dedicated, professional individuals in my career. Keep checking…
For those of you interested, you can follow the conference on Twitter #elc2010 and us @federaltimes to get in on the conversation. Now on to your previously scheduled blog post. The American Council for Technology and the Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) opened their nominations for its 2011 Exellence.gov awards for outstanding government IT programs. Some of the categories include apps as well. So if youir agency has a mobile application that you think is the bee’s knees, then submit it. Nominees are accepted through Dec. 10, 2010. Categories include: 1. Excellence in Enhancing the Customer Experience – Programs that create a…