Jamie Jones Miller, former federal employee in the executive and legislative brances, joined me on the show to discuss her new role as the dean and CEO of Northeastern University's new Arlington, VA campus. They're open for business and offering degree and certificate programs specifically for federal employees and the contractors who support them.

Northeastern hopes to fill critical skills gaps for federal agencies and departments with programs on Blockchain, software enginerring systems, and information systems - think STEM with a public service flavor. 

Learn more here: https://arlington.northeastern.edu/

Tony Zerante, Chief Strategy Officer, and Stephanie Baker, Chief Experience Officer, at WAEPA, joined me to discuss short term disability insurance and why you might need it. They walk us through the product WAEPA offers and how to learn more. WAEPA is a proud sponsor of the FedUpward Podcast.

To learn more about WAEPA and the products they offer public servants, head to https://www.waepa.org/resources/calculators/

You can get a quick esitmate on how much you'd pay for life insurance or short term disabilty insurance. (Spoiler alert: WAEPA's life insurance rates beat FEGLI for many feds.)

Dr. Heath Harding of the Office of Personnel Management's Center for Leadership Development, described what the Federal Executive Institute is and why you want to attend. FEI, located in Charlottesville, VA, offers leader development and networking opporunities you should know about. I attended many years ago and had a great exerpience that included working in teams with representatives from agencies and departments across the government. Listen to learn more.

https://leadership.opm.gov/facilities.aspx?f=48

https://www.opm.gov/services-for-agencies/

Consumers' Checkbook, a non-profit organization that helps youi make better financial decisions, offers a fantastic tool to compare FEHB plans. With open season coming mid-November, you should explore changes to your current plan, what other plans offer, and how much premiums are changing (spoiler - rate increases are NOT uniform across plans). Kevin Moss explains how you can leverage the tool and save a few dollars using a code available only to FedUpward listeners. The comparison tool will be available in the next week. Right now, you can check out the website and sign up to use it as soon as it's available.

https://www.checkbook.org/newhig2/year20/advice/how-can-checkbooks-guide-to-health-plans-for-federal-employees-help-me

Tom Davenport, an AI/machine learning expert who also happens to be my first cousin once removed (yes, I said it), discussed what AI is, how feds might leverage it. If you feel like you *should* already understand AI but you don't, this is a great place to start.

Tom  is a world-renowned thought leader and author, is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, a Fellow of the MIT Center for Digital Business, and an independent senior advisor to Deloitte Analytics.

Tom's written TONS of articles and books on this topic, and you can find his latest here:

https://www.amazon.com/Advantage-Artificial-Intelligence-Revolution-Management/dp/0262039176

https://www.tomdavenport.com/

And you can find him on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davenporttom/

What should you be thinking about when higher level leadership says it's time to return to the physical office? If you're facing questions and resistance from your team, this episode is for you. FEDS Protection CEO and founder Tony Vergnetti reminds us of the liability coverage his company, a proud aponsor os this podcast, offers federal employees. Tony runs through many considerations you should have top of mind as you navigate through the return to work mine field (and yes, many of us are STILL going through this saga).

Learn more about professional liability insurance at the link below.

https://info.fedsprotection.com/feds-PPC-lp/?c=GoogleAds&utm_source=GoogleAds&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=FEDSPPC&gclid=CjwKCAjw7eSZBhB8EiwA60kCW-O0scfsfXq-P8xttx_cUXJWT37UOKK6oyeChneXYNF5gsPMckHE0RoCr-cQAvD_BwE

Something awful happened at work and you're considering an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint, or maybe you should go to the Inspector General (IG) in your agency/department. Or maybe your supervisor's supervisor could help. Where do you even start?

Enter Kevin Shehan.of Shehan Legal. He's worked in federal employment law for a federal agency and served as a fed. Now he serves folks like us and delivers advice you'll find helpful if you're considering a filing a complaint, helping an employee going through it, or you had a complaint lodged against you. 

This episode is NOT an ad. 

You can find Kevin and his team at the links below:

https://www.shehanlegal.com/about

https://www.shehanlegal.com/feds

Wish there was a playbook on how to work more efficiently in a federal agency or department? Look no further. Marina Nitze and Nick Sinai wrote the book on strategies you can use in your daily work to get things done. They've worked at the highest levels of the federal government and were both known for getting the job DONE.

Marina joined me on the podcast to discuss why they wrote the book, what's in it, and how you can make it work for you.

I am super jealous I didn't write this book first! 

Find info on where to buy the book and any upcoming author events at this link:

https://www.hackyourbureaucracy.com/

Sunayna Tuteja, the first ever Chief Innovation Officer at the Federal Reserve System, isn't your typical civil servant. She spent most of her career in fintech working on emerging technologies (think crypto currency). She laughed when a recruiter claled her about taking on the role of innovation officer at the Fed. But her outsider status made her exactly the right person to take the job. In this episode, she outlines how she came to government service, what it's like to be the first in a role, and gives career civil servants advice on how to deal with newbies like her who can bring SO much to an organization.

I had the plesure of hearing her speak at a conference and knew immediately I had to have her on the show. She's a fast talker, so buckle up. You won't want to miss a word.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunaynatuteja/

SOOO excited to welcome Rob Seidner back to the podcast. While working at the Office of Management and Budget, he explained how the rules for civil service really suck. The history lesson helped us understand WHY they suck.You can listen to that episode at this link.

Rob recently transitioned to a job outside government. He talks about why that was a difficult decision and why the mission of his current employer drew him in. EdX, where Rob serves as the director for government partnerships, works to democratize learning. MAJOR colleges and universities use this platform to offer micro degree and upskilling opportunities that cost WAY less than in-person degree programs. If you're a federal agency/department training lead or a manager/employee looking for an easy way to get access to great content feds can use to uplevel, you need to talk to Rob. On this platform, you can take individual classes, work toward professional certificates and more.

And no, this isn't an ad. 

https://www.edx.org/about-us https://www.edx.org/schools-partners

Find Rob on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-seidner-b79095143/