Beyond the Usual Suspects: Putting Together a Truly Diverse Administration

By Paul R. Lawrence and Mark A. Abramson

The two presumptive presidential candidates are now vetting vice presidential candidates. Putting together an entire administration is not too far off.   Based on our experience over the last seven years in interviewing 65 top level political executives in the Obama Administration, we gained insights about the prior professional experiences of those we interviewed.   We discussed how their prior positions prepared them for their current position. In particular, we looked for management experience that would prepare a them to be an effective political executive managing large government organizations.

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Managing the Real Bears of the Presidential Transition

By Diane M. Disney

To smooth the change from this president to the next, Congress has passed a transition planning bill and President Obama has issued an executive order creating a White House Transition Coordinating Council and an Agency Transition Directors Council.  These admirable actions should go far toward sharing knowledge, understanding how to vet candidates, and preparing the newcomers about the scope and strictures of Federal service.  However, as currently structured, none of these really addresses two important fundamentals, one philosophical and the other practical.