Federal Executive Boards, which have been in operation since 1961, each represent roughly 140 different agencies and components. In 28 different locations across the country, boards of senior leaders in government collaborate to discuss goals for improving the federal workforce, consider local challenges, and host various events in their area. The pockets of federal leadership then talk back to Washington, to try to bring some of their ideas and findings to scale.

The boards also help create and coordinate plans for any national or local emergencies — such as natural disasters like tornadoes or hurricanes — and in many cases, figure out how to manage much smaller weather events, like snow days.

“FEBs can certainly enable resource-sharing to make government more efficient in the field,” Dan Chenok, executive director of the IBM Center for The Business of Government, said in an interview. “Let’s say there’s an earthquake in California, or in Florida — FEBs work together to say, ‘how do we make sure, as agencies are making decisions to respond to this in D.C., we’ve got a plan to execute that more effectively?’”

FEBs also host blood drives, help coordinate the Combined Federal Campaign, and host recognition ceremonies each year for the significant contributions of federal employees working across the country.

Year-round, federal employees in different parts of the country can also attend FEB-hosted workshops, trainings and employee development programs — covering everything from leadership skills, and how to apply for retirement, to alternative dispute resolution, and training to use opioid overdose kits.

On top of that, FEBs also help with ideas for federal workforce building. While strategic human capital management and mission-critical skills gaps are major challenges to the federal workforce, the geographic spread of FEBs give them the opportunity to help agencies identify and address skills gaps more immediately.

“Some of the FEBs that we’ve encountered that have been most effective have also been really good collaborators,” Sara Mogulescu, president of the Volcker Alliance, said in an interview. “Figuring out how to connect agencies with universities, colleges and local talent outlets — and thinking about building closer connections outside the federal government to drive priorities within.”

Despite their significant role, a lack of attention on the work of FEBs has led to two main challenges for all the local offices — fragmentation and funding.

As a result of the two challenges, some FEBs are more active, while others have gaps in their leadership — in some cases enough for a couple boards to be currently considered “inactive.”

In response to the challenges, though, there have been recent changes to both the structure and budgeting of FEBs, which could transform the entire program. The FEBs’ main shop is now headed by the Office of Personnel Management, which works in concert with the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to pave a strategic plan for the future.

“I think the message behind that shift is one of priority,” Terry Gerton, President and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration, said in an interview. “One of the missions of the FEBs has always been to facilitate federal hiring and outreach in the communities that they’re located. It seems to me, as an outsider watching this, that the shift to OPM means that more emphasis will be placed on the human capital function of FEBs.”

The next few years will redefine how FEBs function, and how much of an impact their work can have on federal employees across the country. Kelly DeGraff, OPM’s new deputy associate director for FEBs, sees 2024 as a transitional year for the boards, as they embark on a new management structure, as well as a new funding model.

“There’s a lot of change that’s happening right now — that’s really important to understand,” DeGraff said in an interview. “Right now, my job is to help us navigate this change. My focus is on a blend of organizational excellence and meaningful impact.”

At the same time that FEBs are experiencing a structural shakeup, the funding for FEBs is also becoming more stable. In the past, FEBs functioned largely on an ad-hoc basis, relying solely on voluntary funding from agencies in each geographic region.

But with a recent shift, agencies now have authorization to contribute a predetermined amount of funds to OPM in support of the FEB program.

DeGraff said the new funding model is a “game-changer.”

“It allows us to have this predictable funding, allows us to better plan for allocation of resources, including human capital and operational expenses,” DeGraff said. “It’s all leading to more effective program delivery. We’re really excited.”