Federal Executive Boards Hold Annual Conference in Washington; Celebrate 40 Years of Service

Washington, D.C. -- Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James sent a strong message of praise to the nation's Federal Executive Boards (FEB) at their annual conference in Washington, DC. She praised the FEB community as "key frontline soldiers in the war on terrorism. We could not have anticipated how often we would turn to them during the past year."

President George W. Bush recognized the Boards for their four decades of service, sending his best wishes, and thanking FEB members for their "hard work in making the federal government more citizen-centered, results-oriented and market-based."

The annual conference of the Federal Executive Boards opened today and runs through July 25 at the Madison Hotel. Director James, whose agency monitors and coordinates FEB activities, invited the FEB leadership to Washington to focus on homeland security issues.

"Too often, people don't realize that 90 percent of federal employees live and work outside of Washington," said Office of Personnel Management Deputy Director Dan Blair during his address to the conference. "It is these men and women, with the help of Federal Executive Boards, who transform Washington policy into meaningful action that serves Americans everywhere." Michael Byrne, Senior Director for Response and Recovery at the Office of Homeland Security, acknowledged the critical communications role of FEBs on matters affecting homeland security and human resource management.

Mark Forman, Associate Director for Information and e-Government at the Office of Management and Budget, discussed the Bush Administration's initiative to bring government services closer to taxpayers through implementation of the President's Management Agenda's 24 government-wide e-Gov initiatives. Max Stier, Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, also addressed the conference on improving the Federal hiring process.

Though often serving as a communications tool between the White House and field employees, and as an important vehicle for getting program input from the field back to Washington, Federal Executive Boards in recent years have been effective representatives for federal employees and their families needing relief from normal workplace procedures following floods and other natural disasters.

"Your efforts helped let those who have devoted their lives to working for America know that their professionalism, their dedication, their courage and their sacrifices are indeed appreciated," said Blair.

The terrorist attacks in September brought unusual challenges to government, and Blair acknowledged the critical role the FEBs in New York and Newark played in getting the New York City federal community "back up and running."

Federal Executive Boards were created by Executive Order in 1961 to provide a forum for the exchange of information between Washington and field offices about programs, management strategies and administrative challenges. They also help communicate and strengthen the understanding and support of management initiatives, as well as becoming involved in decisions Washington makes that affect their service areas. For instance, the Executive Director of the Denver FEB consulted with OPM on the decision to grant time-off with pay to employees in western states whose homes and lives were devastated by wildfires. The FEB often is the first point of contact for Washington on emergency matters.

OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.