National Academy of Public Administration

National Academy of Public Administration
Name	National Academy of Public Administration
Formation	1967
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President and CEO

Contents

National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonprofit corporation chartered to provide advisory services and expertise on public management and administrative operations for federal, state, and local entities. It conducts assessments, produces studies, and convenes panels of fellows to address challenges faced by United States Congress, United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, United States Postal Service, and other public institutions. Founded in the late 1960s amid reforms influenced by figures associated with President Lyndon B. Johnson and initiatives connected to the Great Society, the organization draws on leaders from careers in John F. Kennedy administration-era programs, state capitols such as Sacramento, California, and municipal administrations like New York City and Chicago.

History

The Academy was established during a period shaped by legislative actions including debates in the 89th United States Congress and oversight by committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Early trustees and charter advocates included public administrators who had worked with agencies like the Civil Service Commission and the Office of Management and Budget and with reformers associated with the Hoover Commission legacy. Over time the Academy has advised on reorganizations comparable in scope to the Reorganization Act of 1939 and reviews similar to the commissions formed after events like the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent reports of the 9/11 Commission. Its historical engagements have intersected with executive-branch initiatives under presidents including Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.

The Academy is governed by a board and organized into panels and study groups drawing on Fellows elected from senior officials, scholars, and practitioners such as former cabinet secretaries, state governors, mayors, university presidents, and corporate executives. Membership includes individuals who have served in positions at institutions like the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, Heritage Foundation, Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. Fellows often include former leaders from entities such as the Federal Reserve System, Securities and Exchange Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the World Bank. The governance structure parallels nonprofit models used by organizations like the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and interacts with accreditation bodies such as the Council for Excellence in Government.

The Academy conducts assessments, performance audits, and advisory panels on topics ranging from procurement reform to human capital management, partnering with institutions including the Government Accountability Office, National Governors Association, National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, State Department, and international partners such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank. Its activities encompass reviews similar to those undertaken by the Commission on Federal Elections or studies akin to reports from the Civil Rights Commission and analyses used by task forces linked to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The Academy has provided counsel on modernization efforts comparable to initiatives by the Office of Personnel Management, cybersecurity strategies discussed at NATO forums, and emergency response planning involving coordination with Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Agency for International Development.

The Academy issues reports, guides, and white papers that inform policymakers, legislative staff, and agency executives; these publications are akin to studies produced by the National Research Council and policy briefs circulated by the Aspen Institute. Research topics have included fiscal management considerations relevant to deliberations in the United States House Committee on Appropriations and program evaluations similar to those undertaken by the Institute of Medicine and the Brookings Institution. Its work has been cited in hearings before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, incorporated into reform proposals connected to the Administrative Procedure Act, and used by state audit offices such as the New York State Comptroller and California State Auditor for benchmarking.

The Academy recognizes distinguished public servants and contributors to administrative practice through honors, medals, and fellowships reminiscent of awards bestowed by the Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Humanities Medal, and professional prizes from organizations like the American Society for Public Administration and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Awardees have included former cabinet officials, governors, mayors, and scholars with affiliations to institutions such as Georgetown University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Michigan.

Funding for the Academy comes from a mix of contracts, grants, and donations from federal agencies, state governments, philanthropic foundations, universities, and corporate sponsors. Contract partners have included the United States Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, and international agencies like the United Nations Development Programme. Foundation supporters and collaborators have included the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, and programmatic partnerships with organizations such as the Council of State Governments and the Kettering Foundation.