National Academy of Public Administration (United States)
The National Academy of Public Administration was founded by James E. Webb, then-administrator of NASA, and other leading public administration practitioners in 1967 and chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1984 under Public Law 98‑257. The Academy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on analyzing emerging trends in governance and public administration. It is one of the two organizations (the other being the National Academy of Sciences) chartered by Congress in this manner. Though the Academy's funding comes primarily from studies that are Congressionally requested or mandated, it is not considered a government agency.
Background
The Academy's studies are directed by a group of close to 800 peer-elected fellows.[1]. Election to the National Academy is one of the highest honors for those engaged in the study or practice of public administration. The fellows are responsible for establishing the organization's policies and priorities and serving as advisers on panels, convened for each study, which issue the studies findings and recommendations.
Webb's impetus in forming the Academy was to create an organization that would provide independent, nonpartisan and neutral advice to government leaders and agencies. The Academy provides advice to a variety of organizations including:
- various U.S. congressional committees
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Government Printing Office
- U.S. Office of Management and Budget
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- National Weather Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Small Business Administration
- Federal Aviation Administration
- University of California
- City of Camden, New Jersey
Research
Through its studies, the Academy has focused attention on a range of government issues, including:
- Strategy development and change management
- Organizational structure and design
- Program evaluation
- Human capital and multisector workforce
- Acquisitions, budget and finance
- Intergovernmental relations
- Workshops and outreach
Most studies are carried out under the direction of Project Panels which consist primarily of elected Academy Fellows. Recent studies include:
- Department of Defense Post-Employment Review Assessment (February 2012)
- National Dialogue on Innovative Tools to Prevent and Detect Fruad, Waste, and Abuse (December 2011)
- Improving the National Preparedness System (October 2011)
- Choosing the Nation's Fiscal Future (January 2010)
- Taking Environmental Protection to the Next Level: An Assessment of the U.S. Environmental Services Delivery System (April 2007)
- Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program: Assessing Performance (April 2007)
Fellows
The Academy's 752 Fellows (as of Sept. 2013) are current and former public managers and scholars, business executives and labor leaders, Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, and diplomats who provide insight and experience as they oversee Academy projects and provide general guidance. Fellows are also the Academy's primary vehicle for addressing emerging issues and contributing to the intellectual and popular discourse on government. Fellows elect new members of the Academy each year. The principal criterion for selection is a sustained and outstanding contribution to the field of public administration through public service or scholarship.
Some notable Fellows include:
- Jonathan Koppell
- Greg Lashutka
- Colin Powell
- Alasdair Roberts
- Donna Shalala
- Dick Thornburgh
- David Walker
Board Chairs
- John D. Millett (1970-1973)
- James A. Norton (1973-1974)
- Frederic N. Cleaveland (1974-1978)
- Alan L. Dean (1978-1981)
- Phillip S. Hughes (1981-1985)
- Elmer B. Staats (1985)
- Mark E. Keane (1985-1987)
- Joseph L. Fisher (1987-1991)
- Astrid E. Merget (1991-1993)
- Alfred M. Zuck (1993-1995)
- Peter L. Szanton (1995- 1997)
- Jonathan Howes (1997-1999)
- David S. C. Chu (1999-2001)
- Jane Pisano (2001-2001)
- Mortimer L. Downey (2001-2002)
- Carl Stenberg (2002-2004)
- Valerie Lemmie (2004-2007)
- J. Christopher Mihm (2007-2010)
- Kenneth S. Apfel (2010-2011)
- Diane M. Disney (2011–present)
Executive Directors and Presidents
- George A. Graham (1967-1972)
- Roy W. Crawley (1972-1976)
- George H. Esser (1976-1982)
- J. Jackson Walter (1982-1985)
- Ray Kline (1985-1992)
- R. Scott Fosler (1992-2000)
- Robert J. O'Neill, Jr. (2000-2002)
- Phillip M. Burgess (2002-2003)
- Howard M. Messner (2003-2003)
- C. Morgan Kinghorn (2003-2006)
- Howard M. Messner (2006-2007)
- Jennifer L. Dorn (2007-2010)
- Kristine M. Marcy (2011-2011)
- Dan G. Blair (2011–present)