Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood

31:20

Embracing Regionalism with Columbus, Ohio Mayor...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/10/05

James-Christian Blockwood interviews Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Governing’s 2026 Public Official of the Year, and National Association of Counties CEO Matt Chase about executive leadership and city-county collaboration amid declining public trust, affordability pressures, and shifting federal policies and funding. They argue local governments must work together through regionalism, clarify roles, and focus on outcomes rather than institutional power 01:11 Why City-County Ties Matter 04:50...

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27:34

Inside the U.S. Mint: Why Coins Still Matter with...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/09/21

Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews former U.S. Mint directors Ed Moy (38th) and Ventris Gibson (40th) about how U.S. currency, specifically coinage, is created and managed. They discuss why physical currency still matters for the unbanked and for privacy concerns, and why bullion demand spikes in crises. The conversation covers the costs and policy debates around the penny and nickel, Mint finances through seigniorage, how coin designs are authorized and approved, and advice urging Whi...

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30:07

What's the Real Definition of Public Service...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/09/08

With back-to-school season in full swing, we've got two Fellows and public administration education experts on the podcast: David Van Slyke, dean of The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and Susan Gooden, professor and former dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Both join host James-Christian Blockwood for a very educational discussion. They share challenges and triumphs in public adm...

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29:30

Rebalancing Power and Modernizing The First Branch of...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/08/24

Daniel Schuman of the American Governance Institute joins Management Matters host James-Christian Blockwood this week! Are we in a “crisis point” for U.S. institutions driven by expanded presidential power, courts overturning precedent and reshaping agency independence, and Congress failing to assert its authorities? Daniel Schuman brings an encyclopedic knowledge of history and the legislative branch to a discussion about what may be next for the federal government. 00:00 Elections And Esca...

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25:22

The Ten Texas Traits of Good Government with Alan...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/08/10

James-Christian Blockwood interviews Academy Fellow Dr. Howard Balanoff of the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University and municipal attorney Alan Bojorquez about defining “good government” amid declining public trust and growing conflict at even local meetings. We learn about the value of the "Ten Texas Traits of Good Government": Good Government is Respectful, Responsive, Effective, Transparent, Competent, Ethical, Lawful, Innovative, Fiscally Sound, and A...

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27:39

Trust and National Security: What Being American...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/07/27

Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Ambassador Joe Westphal and former senior FBI executive Lauren Anderson about how national security has evolved from the Cold War through 9/11 to today’s interconnected threats, including terrorism, geopolitical shifts, and emerging technologies. Both warn that global changes, partner uncertainty, polarization, and reduced information sharing can make the U.S. less safe, alongside a loss of government expertise and strained diplomacy. 01:55 How...

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31:10

CROSSOVER: Management Matters x Governance Matters...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/07/13

In this special Crossover episode with Governance Matters, James-Christian Blockwood is joined by Raphe Sonenshein, President and CEO of the the Haynes Foundation. We're focused on local government charters as “local constitutions” that can be changed more easily, and impact people more immediately, than the U.S. Constitution. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton. Suppor...

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25:35

"The Future of Public Service" at Celebrating the...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/06/29

It's a special “Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood” episode featuring highlights from the Academy’s Celebration of the American Public Servant 250 Gala at the Library of Congress during America’s 250th anniversary, including a Future of Public Service panel with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, retired Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne Bass, and remarks from Senator Tammy Duckworth Sen. Duckworth shares a combat story about a young door ...

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29:42

Merit- and Skills-Based Hiring and What's Next For...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/06/15

Host James-Christian Blockwood discusses government performance and HR systems with Gabe Menchaca of the Niskanen Center and Academy Fellow and Government HR expert Steve Krauss. Menchaca summarizes a Niskanen-Academy study describing wide variation in state civil service models, limited scholarship on state HR, and mixed early results from skills-based hiring due to assessment and measurement bottlenecks and inconsistent time-to-hire metrics. Kraussand Menchaca distinguish nonpar...

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17:37

Leading With Courage with Acquisition Experts Soraya...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/06/01

Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Soraya Correa, President and CEO of the National Industries for the Blind and former Chief Procurement Officer at the US Department of Homeland Security, and Greg Giddens, of Potomac Ridge Consulting, and former Chief Acquisition Officer at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, on how federal acquisition enables mission outcomes beyond compliance. Giddens describes procurement as a strategic bridge between government missions and pr...

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25:29

Big Changes Mean Big Challenges for Shared Services...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/05/18

James-Christian Blockwood discusses U.S. Office of Personnel Management's modernization of federal HR and retirement IT systems with OPM’s Rebecca Ayers and Academy Fellow Brodi Fontenot. Building on a 2021 academy report urging congressional funding to modernize OPM systems, they describe the administration’s goal to build a merit-based workforce and modernize people management through the Federal HR 2.0 initiative. Key elements include moving agencies onto a mandatory single cor...

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34:48

Executive Power and Civil Service Reform with Adam...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/05/04

Host James-Christian Blockwood talks with Academy Fellow and McGeorge School of Law Professor Clark Kelso and American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Adam White about why public agencies struggle and what the executive branch does in response. They discuss how checks and balances slow action and make errors hard to undo, while polarization and congressional dysfunction push presidents toward unilateral action, creating separation-of-powers conflicts and court intervention. The conve...

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28:15

Budgeting is Policy, or How Government is like 'The...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/04/20

Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Teri Gullo, former CBO Director of Budget Analysis, and Karl Maschino, former GAO Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, about why federal budget work matters amid scrutiny of spending, workforce cuts, and “DOGE”-style reforms. They outline the normal OMB-agency-Congress budget timeline, emphasize GAO/CBO’s nonpartisan transparency and need to explain “the story behind the numbers,” discuss polarization blocking fiscal solutions as ne...

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22:51

The GAO High Risk List with Acting Comptroller...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/04/06

Acting Comptroller General of the United States and Head of the US Government Accountability Office Orice Williams Brown joined us in conversation at the Academy offices last month to talk about a hugely important document to everyone in the federal government: the GAO High Risk List. For more than three decades, the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s High-Risk List has identified programs vulnerable to waste, mismanagement, and operational weakness. But beyond oversight, the High-Risk L...

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28:41

Challenges and Innovations in Public Sector Data with...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/03/23

Host James-Christian Blockwood interviews Diana Mauer, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and Kari D'Elia, Chief Product Officer at USAFacts, on managing public institutions amid declining trust and fast-changing information. Both address data gaps honestly and talk about rising distrust of both government and data. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt ...

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21:45

Oversight and the Congress, with Fellow Tim Persons...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/03/09

Whether Americans realize it or not, federal oversight and watchdog organizations can be enormously impactful in how the government spends money, makes laws and builds for the future. So why don't more Americans know about the connections between lawmakers and oversight bodies? Fellow Tim Persons, Principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dan Lips of the Foundation for American Innovation joined James-Christian Blockwood to discuss the importance of oversight and how we should think about...

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26:03

Why Public Administrators Need to Be Great Storytellers

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/02/23

James-Christian Blockwood is joined by Michael Keegan, host of The Business of Government Hour and Dave Martin, host of The Good Government Show. Michael and Dave have interviewed hundreds of public administrators, government workers, and agency heads in their careers, at every level. What do the best public administrators have in common? Why is storytelling more important to public service workers than it's ever been? And how do we help the best stories find their way to the bigg...

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32:58

Reforming, Rebuilding, Reimagining: Our American...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/02/09

Host James-Christian Blockwood is joined this week by former U.S. Rep. and Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Norm Ornstein, emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Our guests will take a long look at how government is functioning now at the local, state and particularly federal level so that they can make some bold predictions about the future. The next 250 years of American government will require reform, rebuilding and in particular reimagining ho...

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40:13

BONUS: The Elliot L. Richardson Prize for Excellence...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/01/29

On Wednesday, January 28, the Academy held the presentation of the 2025 Elliot L. Richardson Prize for Excellence in Public Service to Hon. Janet L. Yellen and Hon. Gary F. Locke, featuring a moderated discussion with Jenn White of NPR's 1A. The honorees spoke to a live audience about a range of issues in modern governance, and how their own experiences helped them see what was most important. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Li...

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27:33

Efficiency, Oversight, and the Future of the US...

Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood ·

2026/01/26

Academy Fellow David Powner, acting managing director for congressional relations at the US Government Accountability Office, joins host James-Christian Blockwood in this week's episode. They get into the details about the importance of GAO's role and the importance of Congress, what oversight can and should be in government, and what's next in the ongoing search for the comptroller general. Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizz...

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