13L



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2008
Contact: Scott Derrick
(202) 577-3042

GOOD-GOVERNMENT GROUPS ANNOUNCE FEDPITCH COMPETITION:
Citizens to “Pitch” New Ideas for Better Managing the Federal Workforce

Washington, D.C. – Several good-government organizations today announced the launch of an initiative called FedPitch – a competition where citizens present 2-minute “pitches” of their ideas for improving workforce management in the federal government. The FedPitch 2008 competition will be held May 7 in the main tent on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of Public Service Recognition Week.

The purpose of the FedPitch competition is to identify innovative ways to attract and recruit people to federal public service and new approaches for retaining, engaging, motivating, rewarding, developing, or leading the federal workforce. FedPitch 2008 is being initiated by 13L, a group of mid-career federal employees, and is co-sponsored by the Council for Excellence in Government, the Partnership for Public Service, Young Government Leaders, and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation.

“FedPitch is an excellent opportunity to involve citizens in helping to find new ways to better lead and manage the federal workforce,” said Scott Derrick, a 13L founder and architect of FedPitch. “We are hoping that the competition will produce some innovative ideas and become an annual event.”

The pitches will be presented before a live audience and a panel of judges. The judges will rate each pitch based on factors such as originality and feasibility. At the end of the session, the judges will select a winner, who will meet with the judges at a later date to explore strategies for implementing the winning idea.

The moderator for FedPitch 2008 will be Tim Clark, Editor in Chief of Government Executive magazine. Judges for the event include:

• Tom Fox, Director of the Annenberg Leadership Institute at the Partnership for Public Service
• Norm Lorentz, Vice President at the Council for Excellence in Government
• Robert Tobias, Director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation at the School of Public Affairs at American University
• Kate Hudson Walker, President of Young Government Leaders
• Orice Williams, Director of Financial Markets and Community Investment, U.S. Government Accountability Office

To submit a proposal to pitch an idea at the FedPitch 2008 event, entrants should log on to the FedPitch web site at www.FedPitch.org beginning March 10 through April 18, 2008. Finalists for the competition are scheduled to be announced on April 26.

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13L is a group of mid-career federal employees committed to promoting effective leadership in the federal government. www.13L.org

The Council for Excellence in Government works to improve the performance of government at all levels; and government's place in the lives and esteem of American citizens. www.excelgov.org

The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. www.ourpublicservice.org

Young Government Leaders is a professional organization of young federal employees that works to educate, inspire, and transform the current and future leaders of the federal government. www.youngovernmentleaders.org

The Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation at American University is a unique forum where all stakeholders in the public policy implementation system can work together on a continuing basis to create compelling results for the public. www.spa.american.edu/isppi

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