Public Service Recognition Week: To the Betterment of our Government and our Nation

Caption: A PMF on their way to work.

“At no time in history has the public placed greater demands on those of us who are held accountable for managing the Federal government,” President Carter pointed out in his letter to the 1979 Presidential Management Interns. Today we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this year’s Public Service Recognition Week. We do so at a time when the public, perhaps to an even greater degree than in 1979, is placing steep demands on us -- demands to quickly help the nation bounce back from the pandemic, responsibly get the economy back on its feet, creatively mitigate the impacts of climate change, inclusively re-embrace American diversity, and faithfully steward the resources they have entrusted to us for accomplishing these mammoth tasks.

In spite of these intimidating assignments, our brilliant colleagues across public service, and PMI/PMF alums in particular, continue responding to the “changes of time, circumstance and public need” that President Carter highlighted with “competence, sensitivity and dedication.” We thank you for facing the wildfires, both literal and figurative, of our times. Thank you for performing essential work during the pandemic, especially before proper protection was widely available, and thank you for helping the rest of us get that protection when it did become available. We especially thank those of you that have continued to serve in the face of having lost or being separated from loved ones over the last year.

But it can be hard to recognize and celebrate what we can’t see. For Public Service Recognition Week this year, you can help us spread the word about the broad range of work done by public servants every day. You can thank fellow public servants all month long on social media using the #GovPossible hashtag from Performance.gov. If you are a current federal employee, we encourage you to take the “I Serve Because” survey so the Partnership for Public Service can share your responses highlighting the importance of public service. 

If you have served, or are serving, at any level - know that our nation is better, stronger, and safer because of your dedication. And know that your community at PMAA recognizes and appreciates what you do, every day. Happy #PSRW2021!