On the Federal Drive show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.
This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.
Today’s guests:
Major Eric Davis — Ombudsman, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Agency
In his civilian life, Major Eric Davis is HR director for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He’s also the ombudsman for an agency that helps governments and companies protect the employment rights of service members. He tells the Federal Drive that when it comes to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Congress expects federal agencies to be model employers.
Pat McGinnis — Former President, Council on Excellence in Government
No matter who wins the presidential election in November, the federal workforce cannot afford to slow down. Pat McGinnis tells Federal News Radio’s Executive Editor Jason Miller that federal employees have to keep innovating. She recently moderated a panel exploring this issue at Gov Exec’s Excellence in Government Conference.
Earl Devaney — Former Chair, Recovery Transparency and Accountability Board
Devaney spent 41 years in federal service including three as chair of the Recovery Board, created as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Devaney says federal managers fighting waste, fraud and abuse have tools they never had before. And he told a recent Washington gathering of inspectors general that three things are needed to curb such abuses.
Cynthia Schnedar — Deputy Inspector General, Department of Justice
The Justice Department has been working since the Sept. 11 attacks 11 years ago to stomp out terrorism and increase national security. But the agency’s inspector general says the agency’s own statistics tracking its progress aren’t that accurate. Cynthia Schnedar talks about the agency’s track record prosecuting suspected terrorists and explains what the inconsistent data means for the country’s fight against terrorism.
Leslie Hagen — National Indian Country Training Coordinator, Department of Justice
Streamlining and combining duplicative federal programs can have real world implications beyond reducing spending or cutting through red tape. The Justice and Interior departments have joined together to offer a training program for law enforcement working in Native American communities. The joint program replaces courses that each agency developed on their own over the years. Leslie Hagen tells Federal News Radio her agency has increased the number of staff dedicated to fighting crime on tribal lands and it is introducing community policing programs as well. She says the new program took a year to develop but reflects both departments’ goals.