FCW Insider: Council of Excellence honors public servants
Wyatt Kash,Editor in Chief of Government Computer News, posted
this item on the GCN Tech blog today, but it seemed a fitting entry for
the FCW Insider as well...
Given the nature of our audience, we normally train our reporting
focus on information technology activities within the federal
government. But we also tend to a get front row seats to a variety of
broader government functions where the primary story revolves around
great examples of government service.
That was the case Wednesday night as the Council of Excellence in
Government, the non-profit organization that works to improve the
performance of government, celebrated its 25th anniversary—and the work
of 25 renowned public servants—at a gathering of more than 400
government and industry executives at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington.
Of course, the Council, led by Pat McGinnis for the past 14 years,
has understood and embraced the role technology plays in the
performance of government. It’s been active in promoting Web 2.0
technologies and in producing online versions of its Prune Book, at www.prunesonline.org,
which offers an interactive compendium of top jobs and other
information for transition leaders, prospective nominees and anyone
interested in the transition process.
The evening was as much a tribute to McGinnis, who is stepping down
at the end of this year, as it was a tribute to a who’s who of public
servants. McGinnis, who helped create the Department of Education,
became widely respected as a champion for improving executive skills in
government. The Council’s Lynn Jennings will serve as acting chief
executive officer until a permanent replacement is found.
But the primary spotlight shone on 25 individuals who, in the
Council’s eyes, personified great examples of public servants. The
included: the Honorable Everett Alvarez, Jr.; the Honorable James A.
Baker, III; Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Mayor Richard M. Daley; Dr.
Anthony S. Fauci; the Honorable Al Gore; the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton;
the Honorable Shirley A. Jackson; the Honorable Thomas H. Kean; the
Honorable Edward M. Kennedy; the Honorable John Lewis; the Honorable
Richard G. Lugar; Wilma Mankiller; the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta; the
Honorable George J. Mitchell; Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; the
Honorable Peter G. Peterson; the Honorable Colin L. Powell; the
Honorable Thomas J. Ridge; the Honorable Alice M. Rivlin; the Honorable
Robert E. Rubin; the Honorable George P. Shultz; the Honorable Donna E.
Shalala; the Honorable Paul A. Volcker; and the Honorable John C.
Whitehead.
Posted by Wyatt Kash on Dec 11, 2008 at 12:18 PM