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The legacy of our founder, Paul A. Volcker, who passed away on December 8, 2019, inspires the work of the Volcker Alliance every day.

Mr. Volcker is known for his lifelong dedication and commitment to the public good. In founding the Volcker Alliance, he expressed a desire to “advance effective management of government to achieve results that matter to citizens.” He set forth a vision of a public sector workforce with the experience, preparation, and commitment to ensure that government is accountable and delivers with excellence.

Hundreds of tributes poured in over the days and weeks that followed his passing. US presidents, leaders of the Federal Reserve, politicians, economists, and other voices from around the world celebrated his life and legacy.

Read some of the compelling tributes that capture Mr. Volcker’s incredible service to the public.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

From all of us here at the Volcker Alliance, we wish you a very happy New Year!

As we enter a new year and decade, our team at the Volcker Alliance is so grateful for the support of our community members, like you, who are committed to advancing a more effective government. As you know, on December 8, 2019, our chairman and founder, Paul A. Volcker, passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Volcker was beloved and revered by all of us on the staff and board of directors of the Volcker Alliance. We miss him dearly.

Mr. Volcker knew that public service is a calling that can change the world for the better. As he often said, “vision without execution is hallucination.” That’s why he started the Volcker Alliance: to equip the public service with the talent and training necessary to transform public policy into our shared public reality. The Alliance’s work will always be inspired by the vision he set forth of a public sector workforce with the experience, preparation, and commitment to ensure that government is accountable and delivers with excellence. He has entrusted us to carry forth his legacy.

We approach the start of the new year motivated by that responsibility and inspired to do our very best to carry out his vision. As a first step, to honor and uphold Mr. Volcker’s remarkable legacy of public service and to further our organizational mission and vision, the Volcker Alliance has established the Paul A. Volcker Fund for the Future of Public Service. With it, we will issue funding to support the implementation of new ideas that inspire and prepare current and future public servants to tackle urgent public policy challenges; strengthen the talent pipeline into public service; and elevate best practices that further public sector workforce development. Stay tuned to learn more about the Fund, how you can support it, and the initiatives it will enable.

And that is not all. We are expanding our Government-to-University Initiative and will soon launch regional networks in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. This quarter, we will be releasing the fourth installment of our multi-year study on state and local budgeting, financial reporting, and fiscal practices across the United States. We are continuing to partner with deans of our nation’s Schools of Public Service Education to explore innovative curricula and teaching methods that equip tomorrow’s public servants to be collaborative, creative, and strategic in their pursuit of solutions. We are collaborating with Arizona State University to host a two-day Design Conference in April 2020, where delegations from Schools of Public Service Education will reflect on models for successful engagement of undergraduates at their universities. And we are working with Centers for Civic Impact at Johns Hopkins University to train federal practitioners in the Kansas City region in data management, analytics, and communicating with data.

We are both proud and humbled to be leading the Volcker Alliance at this critical time. Thank you, as always, for your support and commitment, and best wishes for 2020.

Sincerely,

Bill Bradley
Chairman

Thomas W. Ross
President

The?Volcker Alliance?and the?Arizona State University Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions?have launched the Next Generation Service Partnership (NextGen Service), a national initiative that seeks to expand public service learning experiences for undergraduates.?Leveraging the knowledge and?experience of the pioneering leaders at ASU Watts College and its Public Service Academy, the NextGen Service initiative offers an opportunity for Schools of Public Service to actively explore or design new strategies for engaging undergraduate learners.

NextGen Service offers two tiers of engagement for interested schools. In the first tier, Watts College and the Volcker Alliance will offer a series of webinars and interactive forums, open to all interested attendees, to share information about ASU's Public Service Academy model and other approaches to undergraduate public service education. In the second tier, interested Schools of Public Service may be selected to participate in a more intensive one-year "planning cohort." Schools joining the cohort will have access to a range of support to inform and accelerate their planning and implementation efforts.

The first Active Planning Cohort, which will begin work in July 2020, will include?The Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College?of the City University of New York, the?Andrew Young School of Policy Studies?at Georgia State University, and the?School of Public Administration in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service?at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Learn more about the Next Generation Service Partnership.

Today, the Volcker Alliance and the City University of New York (CUNY) launched the second annual Paul A. Volcker Careers in Government Essay Contest. The central goals of the contest are to better understand what motivates students to opt for a career in government and to raise student awareness about the opportunities that come with a career in public service. This year, two contest winners will receive $5,000 and one-on-one career coaching. Three additional finalists will each receive $1,000. The contest is open to all undergraduate students currently enrolled at CUNY.

The Volcker Alliance and CUNY will host a virtual information session to provide details about the competition on Thursday, October 8, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. The information session will feature Shirley Clarke Franklin, former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, and Volcker Alliance board member, who will reflect on her experiences as mayor and share why she believes it is more important than ever for young people to pursue public service careers. The session will also feature Arslan Mohamed, one of the 2019 essay contest winners. Mr. Mohamed will speak about his deeply rooted public service values, which he discusses in his recent op-ed in the Gotham Gazette, and provide insight into his experience as an essay contest winner.

Read more about this year's Paul A. Volcker Careers in Government Essay Contest.

This week is Public Service Recognition Week, an annual celebration of the men and women who serve our country as federal, state, and local government employees.

This particular Public Service Recognition Week is unlike any other since its inaugural celebration in May 1985. We are in the midst of an unprecedented national and global crisis. The importance of the work of our public servants has never been more clear. Each day, first responders, healthcare workers, teachers, governors, mayors, budget officials, scientists, sanitation workers, and many other public servants are working tirelessly to meet the needs of the American public. They will be instrumental in leading our nation through to the other side of this crisis. The team at the Volcker Alliance extends our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to all public servants.

Crises change lives. We hope that one of the silver linings of this extraordinarily challenging moment in human history is that it may serve to inspire more of the talented, energetic young people of our nation to consider a career in public service. In an epoch of uncertainty and challenge, public service presents a unique and compelling path to contribute meaningfully to the lives of others. Earlier this month, the Volcker Alliance announced the publication and release of a new book entitled Public Service and Good Governance for the Twenty-First Century. The book is a collection of essays by leading thinkers on effective government. We believe that the topic is timely and hope the book will serve as a resource for the next generation of public servants as they strive to ensure that our government can be effective in the face of future challenges.

This week, we also remember the extraordinary public service legacy of our founder, Paul A. Volcker. Mr. Volcker's legacy of excellence in public service and unwavering dedication to the public good inspires the work of the Volcker Alliance every day. It is a fitting tribute to him that this week, the Partnership for Public Service announced the six finalists for the 2020 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award, supported by Ray and Barbara Dalio. Finalists for the award were nominated based on their demonstrated leadership, the significance and impact of their accomplishments, and the excellence they have exemplified over a career of at least twenty years in federal government. Congratulations to Cecilia M. Coates, Anthony S. Fauci, Claire L. Parkinson, Ira Pastan, Jon Michael Seward, and Elizabeth J. Warner on their nomination for this prestigious award!

This Public Service Recognition Week especially, let us take a moment to pause and recognize the hard work, sacrifices, and enormous accomplishments of the public servants who work towards the safety and wellbeing of their fellow citizens every day. We owe them a great deal. On behalf of myself and the Volcker Alliance, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Ross
President
The Volcker Alliance

The Volcker Alliance is excited to announce the publication of?Public Service and Good Governance for the Twenty-First Century, released on May 1, 2020, by the University of Pennsylvania Press. The volume, edited by James L. Perry and assembled by the Volcker Alliance, is dedicated to the millions of public servants across America who serve our nation and uphold our democracy.

The need for effective government is clearer than ever, but the path to strengthening our public institutions and assuring the success of our common endeavors remains rocky. Contributors to?Public Service and Good Governance for the Twenty-First Century?raise and answer critical questions including: what is the state of government today? Can future disruptions of governance and public service be anticipated? And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, what knowledge, skills, and abilities will need to be fostered for tomorrow''s civil servants to lead and execute effectively?

The engaging collection of essays from leading thinkers on effective government is available for purchase from Penn University Press. Order by May 4 and receive 40% off and free shipping! After May 4, enter promo code PP20 during checkout for a 20% discount.

Visit our website to learn more.?>>

The Volcker Alliance?is excited to announce an expansion of its?Government-to-University Initiative (G2U)?with the launch of two new G2U Regional Councils in Los Angeles, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. G2U is an innovative approach to addressing critical governance challenges by building structured regional networks of governments and universities. The initiative aims to catalyze a robust local marketplace that can sustainably connect governments'' hiring and research needs with local university capacity.

To anchor these efforts, the Volcker Alliance is partnering with the Southern California Association of Governments in Los Angeles, and Carnegie Mellon University''s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy and Metro21: Smart Cities Institute in Pittsburgh. These new sites will build upon the success of the pilot G2U Coalition in Kansas City led by the Mid-America Regional Council, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary with its first regionwide Coalition Convening on April 21.

Throughout 2020, the Volcker Alliance will work to build connections within the growing cohort of Regional Councils and will explore opportunities to expand the G2U network further. Please email?G2U@volckeralliance.org?if you''d like to learn more.

Read the full announcement here.

December 8, 2020, marked the first anniversary of Paul A. Volcker's passing. Mr. Volcker, the founding chairman of the Volcker Alliance and former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a giant among American public servants. He personified public service values. Mr. Volcker was committed to overcoming political differences and finding the most effective solutions to the challenges facing our nation, even when the right path forward was not the most popular one. He believed in the power and potential of government to make a difference in people's lives. He believed that excellent government depends on excellent public servants.

In 2013, Mr. Volcker founded the Volcker Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing his vision of a public sector workforce with the experience, preparation, and commitment to ensure government is accountable and delivers with excellence. The Alliance supports current and aspiring public servants by building partnerships with government and universities, promoting innovation in public service education, driving research on effective government, and inspiring others with the story of Mr. Volcker's commitment to public service. Our mission is to empower the public sector workforce to solve the challenges facing our nation.

Though this year has been one of the most challenging and unpredictable our country has faced, it has undoubtedly reinforced and highlighted the imperative of the mission that Mr. Volcker laid out for us at the Volcker Alliance. We feel motivated by Mr. Volcker's legacy each day to continue to do our best to support our public servants. This month especially, we pause to remember Mr. Volcker, and we reflect on the inspiration of his public service and his vision for the Volcker Alliance.

Read our reflection here >>

Thank you for being a part of the Volcker Alliance community. Support from stakeholders like you fuels our efforts to cultivate a public sector workforce with the experience, preparation, and commitment to ensure government is accountable and delivers with excellence.

A member of the Volcker Alliance Board of Directors has generously offered to match the first $10,000 in donations we receive today. There has never been a more important time to support our public servants, who are hard at work for us in the face of extraordinary public health, social, and economic challenges.

This Giving Tuesday, you can invest in the public servants who are working every day to make a difference in your community. Donate Now!

From all of us at the Volcker Alliance, thank you.

I'm pleased to share with you the Volcker Alliance 2019 Annual Report.

Last year was a historic one for our organization. Our great founder, Paul A. Volcker, passed away at the age of 92. We received a substantial, unexpected gift from an incredibly dedicated, lifelong public servant, Justine Rodriguez Kilpatrick. We also engaged with our partners and stakeholders, such as the Schools of Public Service and students aspiring to careers in government, in new, exciting ways.

The unprecedented times we are living in today have thrust our mission to the forefront. From COVID-19 to racial and social injustice, the success of our nation's response to challenges depends on effective government.? ?

On behalf of the full Volcker Alliance team, I want to thank you for your continued support and interest in our work and invite you to learn more about what we accomplished last year. We are grateful for your commitment to our mission.

PLEASE READ OUR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Ross
President

Following the successful launch of the first three Government-to-University (G2U) networks in Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, the Volcker Alliance's G2U Initiative is expanding to Chicago and North Carolina. The G2U Initiative is a growing group of vibrant, regional networks connecting local, state, and federal government leaders with key faculty and administrators from surrounding colleges and universities. G2U demonstrates that bringing government and university leaders together is a powerful way to sustainably connect governments' hiring and research needs with local university capacity.

"The expansion of G2U to Chicago and North Carolina will provide for collaboration and learning across the G2U network at a time when universities, governments, and the job market are undergoing massive transformations due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Thomas W. Ross, president of the Volcker Alliance. "The enthusiasm from partners in government, universities, and the civic sector in regions across the country illustrates the promise and power of G2U collaborations in reshaping the future of government."

Read the press release >>