Federal Executive Institute
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The Federal Executive Institute (FEI) is considered to be one of the elite centers in the world for professional executive education and development.[citation needed] FEI offers values-based leadership development opportunities through an “interagency residential learning experience” which emphasizes “personal growth as well as professional growth." [1] Programs are designed specifically for executives serving in the public sector, with the goal of equipping them to improve government. Surrounded by a scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, FEI’s fourteen-acre campus is located near the center of Charlottesville, Virginia less then a mile from University of Virginia.
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[edit] History
On May 9th, 1968, the Federal Executive Institute opened to these words by President Lyndon B. Johnson,
“The critical importance of our Federal programs demands the highest level of talent in our career leadership. To increase the capacity of top civil service executives and professionals, I directed Civil Service Chairman John Macy last year to take steps to establish an advanced study center. Today I have approved and announced the creation of such a center to be known as the Federal Executive Institute and to be located at Charlottesville, Virginia in collaboration with the University of Virginia."
“This new training enterprise is part of our joint effort to improve the quality of government for the American people. I ask you and your associates to support this new program fully and enthusiastically. Its successful operation can be assured by the assignment of your most talented and promising people to the programs it will offer.”
In 1999 at the 14th Annual FEIAA Forum, Vice President Al Gore noted that,
“FEI has a respected, rich tradition of training leaders of the future based on the values of our Constitution and has earned a well-deserved reputation as the premier executive education institute in the federal government. The networking and values-based leadership that your organization has developed are critical to this Administration's quest to reinvent government and improve our ability to serve the American public.”
[edit] Organization
FEI operates three branches of leadership programming: Leadership for a Democratic Society, the Center for Organizational Performance, and the Center for Global Leadership.
[edit] Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS)
The four-week Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS) program improves the leadership skills of senior career federal government executives to enhance their individual performance and the performance of government agencies. The program focuses on four themes: personal leadership, transforming organizations, policy in a Constitutional system, and the global context for executive action.
LDS offers federal executives a residential learning experience. Sessions are run for four weeks and are offered ten times throughout the year. The maximum enrollment is approximately seventy executives per session, but FEI will often see up to 750 executives complete the LDS program per year.
In addition to an intense curriculum based on Constitutional values, LDS also offers a personal approach to leadership development. By incorporating 360-degree assessments, inventories of strengths and areas for improvement, and constant feedback from peers and facilitators, participants are led to a larger picture of self-awareness. [2] Executives spend a great deal of their time in Leadership Development Teams (LDTs) which are smaller discussion groups made up of several of their fellow classmates and guided by a professional facilitator. In addition, networking and the building of interagency relationships is encouraged and fostered through out-class activities, leadership field experiences, and larger group simulations such as MBTI testing and analysis.
Attention to personal wellness is a large portion of the LDS experience. Executives participate in a full nutritional evaluation, and are provided with the opportunity to take fitness classes in the mornings before breakfast, and during the midday break. In addition, smaller breakout sessions and seminar focusing on specific health and wellness topics are offered during the program. FEI is committed to helping busy executives manage their health by helping to focus on larger work-life balance. FEI offers on-campus gym facilities as well as a volleyball court and swimming pool for further extracurricular activity. (FEI Website)
The current faculty director of the Leadership for a Democratic Society is Dr. Peter Ronayne.
[edit] Center for Organizational Performance (COP)
The Center for Organizational Performance focuses on consulting and specific organizational needs. COP offers open enrollment courses throughout the year in areas such as: collaborating across organizational boundaries, emotional competence, and strategic leadership. COP also offers custom designed programs which can be constructed in regards to an organization’s specific needs.
COP has worked with such agencies as: USAID, NOAA, NAVAIR, as well as the Army Senior Leader Development Program, and the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency in the Government.
The current faculty director of the Center for Organizational Performance is Dr. Alfred Cooke.
[edit] Center for Global Leadership (CGL)
FEI is a founding member of the Global Leadership Consortium with the Graduate School, USDA, and the National Academy of Public Administration to support federal agencies in developing leaders who can excel in the global environment.
[edit] FEI Directors
- Frank Sherwood (1968-73)
- Chester Newland (1973-76)
- Thomas Murphy (1976-79)
- Patrick Conklin (1979-79) Acting
- Robert Matson (1980-80) Acting
- Chester Newland (1980-1981)
- Robert Matson (1981-82) Acting
- Robert Matson (1982-87)
- Michael Hansen (1987-92)
- Patrick Conklin (1992-92) Acting
- Dee Henderson (1993-94)
- Curtis Smith (1994-1998)
- Barbara Garvin-Kester (1998-2003)
- Thomas Towberman (2003-2007)
- Joseph Enders (2007-07) Acting
- Kevin Marshall (2007-Present)
[edit] Current Faculty
- Stephen Blair, Senior Faculty
- Catherine Bromley, Executive in Residence
- Alfred Cooke, Director of Center for Organizational Performance
- Joseph Enders, Acting Director of Federal Executive Institute
- Beverly Fletcher, Senior Faculty
- Gail Funke, Senior Faculty
- Carol Gold, Executive in Residence
- Shelia Grant, Senior Faculty
- Michael Rawlings, Senior Faculty
- Debra Robinson, Senior Faculty
- Peter Ronayne, Dean of Faculty and Director of Leadership for a Democratic Society
Biographies of Current Faculty
[edit] OPM Educational Facility Locations
FEI is part of the Center for Leadership Capacity Services (CLCS) within the Office of Personnel Management. CLCS is home to the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program, an intensive two-year leadership program, which recruits men and women with graduate degrees who have a commitment to public service. CLCS also provides Briefing Programs for Senior Executive Service (SES) members and Schedule C (Administration) appointees.
- There are three educational facilities within CLCS located in:
- Charlottesville, Virginia (FEI)
- Sheperdstown, West Virginia (EMDC)
- Aurora, Colorado (WMDC)
[edit] References
- ^ Novotny, T.W. What's So Special? An Introduction. The Public Manager Vol.28 No.1 Spring 1999. Pg 4.
- ^ Hall, T.B. Rocky Top, Rocky Road, Solid Rock: Thirty Years of Intellectual History at the Federal Executive Institute. Diss. Virginia Tech, 1998. Falls Church, VA: Pg 111.
