Federal employees have many important decisions to make by the time that they retire, but even more decisions await before retirement is near. Some of these choices can have lifelong consequences and need to be carefully considered, even if they can be complicated and confusing. Erin Carter is Director of Programs at National Active and Retired Federal Employees association. She joined the podcast to discuss federal employee retirement strategies.
May 23, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 61
The Homeland Security Department was among the agencies successful in its approach to vaccinating its employees against COVID-19. The agency’s inspector general’s office recently released a report that highlighted the successes of the vaccine push at DHS and the lessons learned from the missteps that the agency also took. Courtney Bublé writes the Coronavirus Roundup on GovExec.com. She joined the podcast to discuss the DHS IG report and other COVID-19 stories that she has been covering. *** Joi...
May 19, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Federal employees making allegations of discrimination by their agency, whether against themselves or others, are not entitled to whistleblower protection, the Merit Systems Protection Board ruled recently. In the ruling, the MSPB also wrote that these feds also cannot seek remedies through the same paths as other whistleblowers. Dan Meyer is an attorney and Managing Partner of Tully Rinckey’s D.C office. Before the Merit Systems Protection Board, he has successfully represented special agents, ...
May 18, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 59
When you think about your current zip code, the zip code where you grew up, you probably don’t think too much about what that sequence of numbers mean. It’s probably a neighborhood or a city, but the reality is that it tells a much broader story about class in America. CJ Gross is a TEDx speaker, international organizational development consultant, and founder of Ascension Worldwide, a consulting firm committed to helping clients achieve workplace inclusion and diversity. He is also the author o...
May 17, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 58
According to estimates, student loan debt is worth trillions of dollars and affects millions of people. According to the Federal Reserve, the average college debt among student loan borrowers in the U.S. is over $30,000 per student. That kind of number certainly affects the way that borrowers behave, especially in times of economic uncertainty. Dr. Cliff Robb is faculty director for the Consumer Finance and Personal Financial Planning programs at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As part of ...
May 16, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Paul Mango served as the deputy chief of staff for the Health and Human Services for two years, where he served as HHS secretary’s formal liaison to Operation Warp Speed. In that time, he helped lead what he called recently a model for public-private partnerships going forward. Recently, GovExec correspondent and frequent GovExec Daily guest Courtney Bublé interviewed Mango about Operation Warp Speed and its successes and failures. In this episode, you’ll hear Courtney’s interview with Mango on ...
May 13, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 56
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought government customer service into a new normal that involves different ways of solving problems. What exactly will that mean as federal employees and citizens go forward? RJ Krawiec is a principal and the Chief Marketing Officer for Deloitte’s Government & Public Services practice. He joined the podcast to discuss government customer service and technology. *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group...
May 12, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Members of Congress have questions about the USPS fleet as electric vehicles become more available and the Post Office’s own IG suggests that the Postal Service can go nearly all-electric in the future. GovExec Senior Correspondent Eric Katz covers USPS. He joined the podcast to discuss the fleet contract and other postal stories he has been covering. *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group
May 11, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 54
More than two years after the maximum telework memo was sent to agencies, remote work and hybrid work have become de rigueur for public servants. Subsequently, the web has become exponentially more important as the ways that the public interacts with the federal government. Sheri Petras is the CEO at CFI Group. Her organization recently published a report titled “Government Websites Demand Surges, Satisfaction Declines” examining the results of research about government sites. She joined the pod...
May 10, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Federal employees have a lot of options for their financial future, including around the Thrift Saving Plan. That is why it is so crucial to have a great tax strategy in retirement to make sure you can minimize your taxes as much as possible. Dallen Haws is a financial planner and host of the “Plan Your Federal Benefits” YouTube channel as well as a podcast at PlanYourFederalBenefits.com. He is also the author of the book Building Wealth in The TSP: Your Road Map to Financial Freedom as a FERS E...
May 09, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Being a federal worker means that it's sometimes hard to know where the boundary lines are in what you can and cannot do regarding activism that touches politics. Social media and in-person protests, in particular, can become thorny. With the leaked Supreme Court draft decision on Roe v. Wade , feds may be wondering where the boundaries lie. Lindy Kyzer is the editor of ClearanceJobs.com, a former Defense Department employee and a GovExec contributor. She has a post on our site right now headlin...
May 06, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Earlier this week, Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja encouraged people to apply for the thousands of jobs authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden last year. In February, Ahuja announced the creation of a Schedule A hiring authority to bring on climate scientists, engineers and clean water engineers, among other posts. Recently, GovExec correspondent and frequent GovExec Daily guest Erich Wagner interviewed Ahuja about hiring authorities and the...
May 05, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 50
The Biden administration has prioritized the government customer experience as a cornerstone of its management agenda. Agencies will have to digest information and data as part of these goals going forward. Merav Yuravlivker is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Data Society, a provider of industry-tailored data scientist training programs to organizations and government agencies. She joined the show to discuss data, customer service and the future of government technology. *** Join G...
May 04, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 49
On Friday, President Joe Biden met with inspectors general, as well as leadership from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and others to discuss oversight of federal programs. The meeting came the same day that the White House released guidance on oversight for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law passed late last year. GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé covered the Biden meeting with IGs on Friday. She joined the show to talk about oversight of the infrastructure bill and of oversi...
May 03, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 48
A law passed by the New York City Council and slated to go into effect late this year requires employers to include the minimum and maximum starting salary for any advertised job, promotion or transfer opportunity. Advocates say that the law will help shrink wage gaps affecting historically disadvantaged people by way of increased salary transparency. Peter J. Glennon is a longtime business and employment litigation attorney at the Rochester-based Glennon Law Firm PC. As part of our #MoneyMonday...
May 02, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Cities like Evanston, Illinois are devising programs to provide forms of reparations to African Americans impacted by systematic racism, but implementing these programs has proven difficult and controversial. GovExec Editor at Large Tom Shoop joined the show to discuss a story he wrote for Route 50 headlined " Cities Pick up Pace on Reparations Efforts, and Controversy Follows ." *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm_medium=ch_club&utm_ca...
Apr 29, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been a controversial public figure since his elevation to the post in June 2020. His operational changes slowed mail delivery in conjunction with staff time lost during the pandemic, coinciding with a historic increase in voting by mail during a controversial election involving Donald Trump, a close ally of Dejoy. GovExec Senior Correspondent Eric Katz covers the Postal Service and sat down with DeJoy earlier this month. He joined the podcast to discuss the Pos...
Apr 28, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 45
The Biden administration has made diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals part of its Presidential management agenda, including releasing guidance for agencies to emphasize DEIA goals at agencies and in acquisition Francine Katsoudas is Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco. In this role, she oversees critical functions that instill Cisco’s conscious culture and contributes to the company’s overall performance. She joined the show to discus...
Apr 27, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 44
In a letter to shareholders recently, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted the challenges of the past few years and encouraged the government to serve Americans better and to take a stronger leadership role. The Biden Management Agenda has some focus on these issues, among other management goals. Robert Shea is a National Managing Principal for Public Policy, Grant Thornton, a National Academy of Public Administration fellow and one of the hosts of the Fed Heads podcast. He previously served for...
Apr 26, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 43
April is Financial Literacy Month, coinciding with the mid-month deadline to file one’s taxes. These things give Americans an opportunity to look at our finances and take stock of where we are and what financial habits – good and bad – that we have. Jason Howell is an adjunct faculty member within the Finance and Accounting Areas in the School of Business at George Mason University. He’s also a Certified Financial Planning professional and the author of the book JOY of Financial Planning: 7 Stra...
Apr 25, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 42
After two years of most of its offices being closed to the public due to COVID-19, the Social Security Administration reopened most of its traditional worksites recently. Employee groups have reported mixed results and rocky reopenings at the offices. Other agencies have different agreements with their workers and the roller coaster nature of the coronavirus case numbers may complicate other federal employees returning to offices. John P. Mahoney is an employment attorney and a former administra...
Apr 22, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Retirement security is an important issue for Americans of all ages and things might get easier for Americans looking to save for retirement soon. The bill will even affect the TSP, the popular retirement plan open to federal employees. GovExec senior reporter Erich Wagner covers the federal workforce. He joined the podcast to discuss the annual leave exception and other stories that he has been covering. *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm...
Apr 21, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 40
According to an unpublished watchdog report obtained by the Project on Government Oversight recently, more than 10,000 employees at law enforcement components of the Department of Homeland Security say they have experienced sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. The report shows a damaging law enforcement and management culture at one of the biggest federal government agencies. Adam Zagorin is a senior journalist with the Project on Government Oversight. He joined the show to discuss the report...
Apr 19, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 39
Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, predominantly in the Western United States, cover nearly 250 million acres or about 10% of the land in the U.S. But, conserving public lands depends on the White House empowering federal employees at the land management agencies. Chandra Rosenthal serves as the Rocky Mountain Office Director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. She’s also the author of a post headlined “The Success of Biden’s America the Beautiful Plan Hinges on E...
Apr 19, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 38
Just over two years ago, Congress passed the CARES Act, which established the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to coordinate and support oversight of pandemic relief programs and spending, which is now over $5 trillion. As part of her reporting around the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 oversight, Courtney Bublé spoke to Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department’s inspector general and the chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. In this episode, you’ll hear their conve...
Apr 17, 2022•20 min
April 18 is the deadline to file taxes, and millions of Americans each year fail to file their taxes each year, according to the IRS. But, if you have or are pursuing a security clearance, this could be a pretty big – and easily avoidable – problem. Lindy Kyzer is the editor of ClearanceJobs.com, a former Defense Department employee and a GovExec contributor. She has a post on our site right now headlined “Want to Get Or Keep Your Security Clearance? File Your Taxes.” As part of our #MoneyMonday...
Apr 17, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 37
The office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery was created with the passage of 2020’s CARES Act. A few months later, Brian P. Miller was confirmed to lead the office and has since overeen the United States Department of the Treasury's implementation of the CARES Act. As part of her reporting around the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 oversight, Courtney Bublé spoke to Miller about his time in the office and oversight of CARES Act money. In this episode, you’ll hear their conv...
Apr 16, 2022•25 min
GovExec Daily hosted Stephen Mathai-Davis to break down everything you need to know before Monday's fiing date. The event took place on Thursday, April 14. *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm_medium=ch_club&utm_campaign=vlrzJwsaX-VcmRCrWGPctA-103059
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min
The CARES Act was passed in March 2020 during the initial phase of the COVID-19 crisis. With trillions of dollars at stake, the law established three entities tasked with overseeing the money going out: The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the Congressional Oversight Commission and the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé has a package of stories on our site right now looking back at the two years of CARES Act oversight by these and oth...
Apr 14, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 36
In the pursuit of raising trust in government, the Biden administration is now setting goals for customer service as part of a slate of updates to the President’s Management Agenda. The update is part of an emphasis on mission delivery and customer experience which was a focus of the president's management agenda vision document released in November. Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce...
Apr 13, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 35
