ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

The Initiative for Collaborative Government, a joint public policy initiative by CGI and George Mason University, was launched in 2008. The mission of the Initiative for Collaborative Government is to analyze models of collaboration between government and the private and nonprofit sectors, and how the government can best leverage these models to maximize mission results.

Collaboration and the networks, partnerships, and relationships that underlie them have become prominent elements of governance at the federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. and abroad. The past two decades have seen recognition of the many ways to serve public purposes through cooperation and collaboration among agents of government, industry, and nonprofits, as well as citizens and stakeholder groups.

The specific forms of "collaborative government" include mature, industrial strength solution approaches ranging from service acquirer-provider relationships to public-private partnerships, research and development collaborations, and public-private social networks aligned with government missions.

Government today collaborates with the private and nonprofit sector in executing a broad range of mission and administrative functions. The question is not whether collaboration will occur, but rather how agencies can capitalize on collaborative government models to enhance mission results, speed, and efficiency, while retaining strategic alignment, control and accountability.

The Initiative for Collaborative Government is focused on helping the government answer this challenge. To this end, the Initiative has commissioned three cutting-edge research projects on collaborative government to be undertaken by George Mason University faculty. We will be releasing these important studies during 2008. In addition, the Initiative will host a series of 2008 events on "Collaboration: An Effective Tool for Government Executives." These events will provide public-sector, private sector, and nonprofit leaders a forum for discussing mission challenges and potential collaborative government solutions. Additional reports and events are planned for 2009 and beyond.

The next two years will be exciting ones for our nation with the 2008 Presidential election and a new Administration in 2009. We encourage you to join in our Initiative to enhance the management of government through effective, accountable collaboration.

LEADERSHIP

Paul Posner, Co-Director, Initiative for Collaborative Government

Paul L. Posner is the Co-Director of the Initiative for Collaborative Government responsible for coordinating Initiative research projects and events in coordination with George Mason University faculty and staff. Mr. Posner is Director of the Public Administration Program at George Mason University. Formerly, he served with the U.S. Government Accountability Office where he was Managing Director for Federal Budget and Intergovernmental Issues for many years. At GAO, he led the agency’s work on the long term federal budget outlook and emerging challenges for public sector finances at federal, state and local governments.

Dr. Posner has published articles on intergovernmental and budget issues in various academic journals and is the author of The Politics of Unfunded Mandates published by Georgetown University Press in 1998. He received PhD in Political Science from Columbia University and was elected a Fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration. He is the most recent winner of the James Blum Award presented by AABPA for exceptional leadership in public budgeting. He has been elected to the leadership of the American Society for Public Administration, and will become its President in 2009.

Andrew McLauchlin, Co-Director, Initiative for Collaborative Government

Andrew McLauchlin is Co-Director of the Initiative for Collaborative Government. Mr. McLauchlin is responsible for architecting and supervising Initiative research projects and events in cooperation with George Mason University. In this role, he leads collaboration with federal policymakers, Congress, agency executives, and academic thought leaders to analyze issues of critical importance to the federal government, and how the government can best apply collaborative government models to address those issues during the transition to a new Administration in 2009 and beyond.

Mr. McLauchlin has 18-year’s experience in government IT solutions and public policy analysis. His experience includes facilitating discussion across OMB, Federal agencies, Congress, professional associations, and industry partners to architect strategies and solutions that enable agencies to meet both agency and government-wide objectives. Mr. McLauchlin is an active participant in professional associations such as the Industry Advisory Council (IAC), where he currently chairs the IAC Collaboration and Transformation Shared Interest Group. He is also active in the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), the Professional Services Council (PSC), and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). He has also served on industry advisory panels, such as the 2002 Federal CIO Council Best Practices Committee, which provided advice to the program managers of the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) regarding best practices and future IAE opportunities.

Mr. McLauchlin graduated from the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar in 1988. In 2001, he earned an eBusiness Certificate from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. In 2004, he received Notice of Allowance as the inventor of U.S. Patent 6,754,672: System and Method for Efficient Integration of Government Administrative and Program Systems.