John Kamensky

OMB's FY 2012 Budget Guidance

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:41

OMB released specific guidance to agencies on how they should prepare their budget submissions to OMB, which are due September 13. The key element being that agencies should submit requests that would be 5 percent below what was estimated for FY 2012 when OMB submitted the president’s FY 2011 budget in February. There have been good stories on this in the Washington Post and

3D Worlds Come to Government

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:37
I saw an intriguing article in Government Computer News, by Alice Lipowicz, on how the departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, the National Defense University, and the Air Force are getting together to create a government-only 3-D “virtual world” where they could conduct training and joint exercises. Paulette Robinson, dean of NDU’s “iCollege,” told GCN “Webinars are boring,” and that the immersive experience of bringing people together on-line can be dramatically improved.

Weekly Roundup: March 27 – April 7, 2017

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:24

John Kamensky

Warner Letter re: DATA Act. Federal News Radio reports: “Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) sent letters to 24 chief financial officer agencies on Friday, urging leadership to “prioritize efforts” to comply with the Digital Accountability and Transparency (DATA) Act. . . . Warner, an original backer of the DATA Act, asked five questions to agency leaders about their progress toward the May 2017 implementation deadline.”

No Longer a Lamp Under a Bushel Basket

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:14

Discoveries like these are an entrepreneur’s dream, but they live in a different world than the scientists who develop these technologies. And their paths rarely cross. How can this dynamic be changed so discoveries move from the lab to markets more quickly, and don’t remain “a lamp under a bushel basket?”

Weekly Roundup: April 10-14, 2017

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:07

John Kamensky

Treating the Invisible Wounds of War

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:04

Today, we are more likely to talk about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and related mental health issues such as alcohol and substance use as they are recognized medical conditions with effective treatments available. Since September 11, 2001, more than 2.69 million troops have returned from deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Weekly Roundup: April 17-21, 2017

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 13:01

John Kamensky

Weekly Roundup: April 24-28, 2017

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 12:54

IT Modernization Bill Re-Introduced.  NextGov reports: “Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, plans to introduce legislation today designed to help federal agencies update their aging technology—and this time, it has White House backing. . . .

Attracting Job-Creating Investments into the U.S.

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 12:48

As of 2015, foreign firms had invested more than $3.1 trillion in the U.S. over the years, with a record-high of $348 billion that year alone.  However, its overall share of global trends in foreign investments declined when compared to the pre-recession period of 1999-2008.  So, how can this trend be reversed? One key strategy has been to enlist the federal government as both a promoter and a one-stop shop for foreign investors.

Energy Efficiency vs. Sustainability

Submitted by on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 12:01

With the end of the national energy shortage, efficiency efforts were ultimately re-cast and broadened to become “sustainability” initiatives. Will energy efficiency continue to be a federal priority in coming years?

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Emeritus Senior Fellow
IBM Center for The Business of Government

Mr. Kamensky is an Emeritus Senior Fellow with the IBM Center for The Business of Government and was an Associate Partner with IBM's Global Business Services.

During 24 years of public service, he had a significant role in helping pioneer the federal government's performance and results orientation. Mr. Kamensky is passionate about helping transform government to be more results-oriented, performance-based, customer-driven, and collaborative in nature.

Prior to joining the IBM Center, he served for eight years as deputy director of Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government. Before that, he worked at the Government Accountability Office where he played a key role in the development and passage of the Government Performance and Results Act.

Since joining the IBM Center, he has co-edited six books and writes and speaks extensively on performance management and government reform.  Current areas of emphasis include transparency, collaboration, and citizen engagement.  He also blogs about management challenges in government.

Mr. Kamensky is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and received a Masters in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, in Austin, Texas.