Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise

The Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise strengthens connections among government, business, academic, and nonprofit sectors in order to address complex public policy problems and speed improvements in the management and delivery of public services. The Center focuses on areas impacted by public-private linkages: including, government sourcing, supply chain management, national security, and economic competitiveness.

In response to today's complex problems, the delivery of public services is increasingly shared among sectors. The Center enhances the understanding and value of these important interrelationships. Operating at the nexus of public and private interests, the Center convenes leaders across sectors, researches and adapts best practices, develops policy recommendations, and influences decision-makers.

The Honorable Jacques S. Gansler, former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, is the first holder of the Roger C. Lipitz Chair in Public Policy and Private Enterprise. As the third ranking civilian at the Pentagon from 1997 to 2001, Professor Gansler was responsible for all research and development, acquisition reform, logistics, advanced technology, environmental security, defense industry, and numerous other security programs. Before joining the Clinton Administration, Dr. Gansler held a variety of positions in government and the private sector, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Material Acquisition), Assistant Director of Defense Research and Engineering (Electronics), Vice President of ITT, and engineering and management positions with Singer and Raytheon Corporations. Throughout his career, Dr. Gansler has written, published and taught on subjects related to his work. He is the author of Defense Conversion: Transforming the Arsenal of Democracy, MIT Press, 1995; Affording Defense, MIT Press, 1989, and The Defense Industry, MIT Press, 1980. He has published numerous articles in Foreign Affairs, Harvard Business Review, International Security, Public Affairs, and other journals as well as newspapers and frequent Congressional testimonies. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

For more information about the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise, visit their website: www.cpppe.umd.edu/