A. Background
1. Federal Executive Boards (FEB) were first established in 1961 by President Kennedy. As an integral part of his efforts to increase the effectiveness and economy of Federal agencies, he called for a significant strengthening of coordinating activities in government outside of Washington.
In his implementing letter, he asked for improvement of the management and direction of Federal offices throughout the country by the chief departmental officials in Washington. He provided for the establishment of interagency groups for close coordination across department and agency lines in important centers of Federal activity outside the Nation’s Capital. He stated, "... although each Executive agency and its field organizations have a special mission, there are many matters on which the work of the departments converge. Among them are management and budgetary procedures, personnel policies, recruitment efforts, office space uses, procurement activities, public information duties and similar matters. There are opportunities for more closely coordinated approaches in many activities such as economic problems, natural resources development, protection of equal rights, and urban development efforts."
As a first step in bringing Federal officials in field establishments closer together, President Kennedy established ten (10) Federal Executive Boards in the "Region" cities. An evaluation of FEBs in 1969 by the Bureau of Budget and the U.S. Civil Service Commission concluded that FEBs have been successful in improving Federal field management in a variety of community service activities.
Since their inception, all administrations have fully supported the concept of FEBs and have authorized additional Boards. Today, there are twenty-seven (27) FEBs serving major metropolitan areas across the Nation. The Greater Kansas City FEB was established in 1963 and serves as the Federal presence in the Metropolitan Kansas City area, encompassing ten counties. Other FEBs are located in the following cities: Albuquerque-Sante Fe, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu-Pacific, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, & the Twin Cities.
B. Organization and Leadership of the FEB System
1. Office of Personnel Management. The Director of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible to the President for the organizational and programmatic activities of the FEB. The Director shall direct and oversee the operations of the FEB consistent with the law and with the directives of the President. The Director may from time to time, consult with and require the advice of the Chairperson, members and/or staff of the FEB.
2. Support Agency. Within the FEB system, a "Support Agency" has been designated in each of the FEB cities. The support agency provides the staffing and administrative/logistic support necessary to carry out the operations of their assigned FEB
The U.S. Department of Transportation /Federal Aviation Administration has been designated the support agency for the Kansas City FEB.
3. Membership. FEB membership is limited to the senior official of each department or agency located in the FEB metropolitan area. FEB committees, however, include additional Federal employees and frequently officials of other levels of government and private groups. Currently, there are 146 members on the Kansas City FEB, representing approximately 38,000 civilian and military employees.
4. Officers of the FEB. The FEB is headed by a Chairperson along with a First, Second, and Third Vice Chairperson elected by membership. In addition, there is an Executive Committee of nine (9) elected and six (6) designated members. Detailed information on the election of officers and composition of the Executive Committee can be found in the FEB Constitution and By Laws.
During the last quarter of the fiscal year, the incoming Chairperson (i.e., Chairperson-Elect), is responsible for developing the Strategic Plan for the upcoming year. The outgoing Chairperson is responsible for evaluating the past year's events and activities, recommending changes for next year and preparing an annual report for submission to OPM.
5. Role of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee serves as the policy and leadership committee for the FEB. As such, is responsible for establishing major goals and participating in the selection of committee chairpersons. The designated Vice-Chairperson reviews and recommends approval of work plans to the Executive Committee for approval, monitoring progress and evaluating accomplishments against the work plan. The committee recommends changes in program direction, suggests areas for improvement and makes its expertise available on matters falling within the purview of FEB activities. Members also make recommendations to its membership on matters involving interagency coordination or joint agency action. The Executive Director also serves as a liaison for individual committee chairpersons who reports on the progress of work projects at each monthly Executive Committee meeting.
6. Role of the FEB Chairperson. The Chairperson serves as the presiding officer and spokesperson of the FEB.
7. Role of the Vice-Chairperson(s). The Vice-Chairperson serves in the absence of the Chairperson or when he/she is otherwise unavailable.
8. Role of Committees, Subcommittees, Ad Hoc Committees. Work of the Federal Executive Board is carried out primarily through committees, projects, and ad hoc committees. Chairpersons of these committees are appointed by the FEB Chairperson who also assigns the program area of responsibility. While selection of committee membership and organization of subcommittees is at the discretion of the chairpersons, they are encouraged to recruit from agencies whose mission run parallel to the mission of the committee. Size and composition of the committee is influenced by the nature of the committee’s program and the skills and expertise required to accomplish the objectives.
All personnel serving the FEB and its committees do so in addition to performing their primary job in their employing agency.
The committees, subcommittees, and ad hoc committees have the authority to carry out their programs with considerable flexibility; however, all events of the various committees, etc. are the responsibility of the Executive Committee through the FEB officers and staff. Prior to finalization of plans, the event chair must assure that the FEB Chairperson and/or Executive Director are informed of all details. All commitments for expenditure of funds MUST be authorized by the FEB Chairperson and/or Executive Director.
9. FEB Staff. The FEB staff has two positions filled on a full-time basis; Executive Director and Secretary.
10. Role of the Executive Director. The Executive Director serves as the principal staff assistant to the FEB Chairperson and provides a full range of staff services. While the Executive Director reports directly to the FEB Chairperson, he/she is officially on the rolls of the support agency. The FEB Chairperson is the Executive Director’s day-to-day supervisor.
The Executive Director is responsible for providing staff support such as researching and recommending committee projects for all committees, subcommittees, and ad hoc of the FEB, participating in all committee meetings and maintaining records on committee activities. He/She provides a continuing evaluation of FEB operations and makes appropriate recommendations to the Chairperson on matters requiring inter-committee coordination and clarification. The role of the Executive Director is staff oriented as opposed to be functionally active with the various committees.
11. Role of the FEB Secretary. The FEB Secretary serves as a personal assistant to the Executive Director and plays an important role in assisting to carry out the day-to-day administration of the office. The Secretary serves as recorder for all Executive Committee Meetings.
C. Program Planning, Review and Evaluation.
1. Planning. The FEB program year is organized on a fiscal year basis. The process starts with program guidance received from OPM. Annually, normally during the first month of the new fiscal year, OPM conducts a conference for FEB Chairperson-Elect and their Executive Directors. The OPM Action Plan for "National Objectives" for the ensuing fiscal year are discussed in depth. The conference also serves as a forum for the exchange of information on successful FEB projects as well as problems FEBs encounter. ("National Objective" conferences are also held by the lead agencies.)
The Chairperson-Elect with the Executive Committee, organizes the major thrust of FEB activities in line with guidance and direction received from OPM. Such guidance always includes the undertaking of projects which are of local concern to the FEB and the community.
Each committee sub-chairperson prepares a work plan outlining the goals of his/her committee and identifies the specific objectives to be undertaken to achieve these goals. The Subcommittees plans are reviewed by the appropriate Vice-Chairperson who is responsible for making recommendations to the executive committee for approval.
2. Review. Progress on the status of accomplishment of objectives is presented to the Executive Committee by Liaison Members of all committees at the monthly meeting. The primary purpose of the review is to determine how well the established objectives are being achieved and to address problems the committee is having in completing a project; suggestions, if any, on how the FEB can help to resolve these problems and what the plans are for projects not yet started.
3. Evaluation. Through review, the Executive Committee evaluates program accomplishments, makes recommendations for program improvement and changes in program direction.
D. Facilities and Logistic Services.
1. FEB Office. The office of the FEB is usually located in the same facility as that of the FEB Chairperson. The FEB office will provide logistical support to all activities to the degree possible.
2. Conference Room. Conference rooms for meeting are available in Federal buildings and arrangements are made through Cooperative Administrative Support Unit (CASU) or other appropriate agency/building management. Committees should assure that reservations requiring written confirmation are prepared on FEB stationery or otherwise identified as a FEB function.
In the event a committee is unable to locate available conference room facilities, the FEB should be contacted to assistance.
3. Printing. The services of many agencies are used for printing and to prepare art work, programs, graphic displays, etc., within capabilities. If committees are unable to locate an agency to accommodate their needs, they may request the FEB office to locate an agency or make arrangements for this.
4. Lead Time. Committees are asked to give special attention to scheduling adequate time for their printing requirements. The following "rule of thumb" should be used when submitting the requirements to the FEB office:
Brochures, Pamphlets, Directories, Major Distributions 4 weeks
Letters, Notices, Bulletins, etc. 3-5 days
If possible, material should be in a final form.
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E. Correspondence Practices.
To give FEB greater visibility within and outside the federal community, FEB correspondence should be prepared on FEB letterhead. Stationery is available from the FEB office.
The signing of FEB correspondence is at the discretion of the standing committee chairperson. When committee chairpersons consider it appropriate, they may prepare correspondence for the signature of the FEB Chairperson. Signing and reviewing of correspondence originated by subcommittees will be as prescribed by the standing committee chairperson. All correspondence must be reviewed by the FEB Chairperson via the FEB office.
All FEB correspondence intended for general distribution to heads of Federal agencies must be processed through the FEB office and signed by the FEB Chairperson. In addition to spot checking to assure there is no overlap, duplication, or conflict of committee activities, the FEB staff will assist in arranging for printing and mailing of such correspondence.
Copies of committees’ "internal" meeting notices, minutes, announcements, etc., should be sent to the FEB office for retention in the committee’s file.
Committees should assure that letters contain a point of contact for agency inquiries, giving the name and telephone number of the committee’s representative.
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F. Refund Policy.
The FEB is not a funded agency and has NO funding resources. It is necessary that activities requiring funds be self-supporting. Attendance will be reasonably estimated by the FEB Executive Director and the committee(s) involved. The estimated total cost will then be prorated to determine the cost per person. Reservations constitute a final commitment for the activity. There will be no reimbursement of registration fees due to late cancellations or no shows. Substitute attendees are authorized and welcomed.
G. Committee Reporting Requirements.
Formal reporting to OPM on committee accomplishments consists of the following reports:
Annual Report-End of Fiscal Year
Work Plan-Beginning of Fiscal Year
To keep the FEB Chairperson apprised of committee activities, committee chairpersons are asked to prepare a monthly Committee Status Report for the Executive Committee.
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