National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Name	National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Abbreviation	NGA Center
Founded	1967
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Bill Clinton (former chair of National Governors Association)
Parent organization	National Governors Association

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices is the policy arm of the National Governors Association, providing technical assistance, policy research, and convening services for state executives. It supports collaboration among former and current governors, liaises with federal entities such as the United States Congress and the White House, and interfaces with external organizations including the Brookings Institution, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Council of State Governments.

History

Established as the policy staff of the National Governors Association during the late 20th century, the Center emerged amid reforms associated with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 era and the expansion of federal-state relations under the Johnson administration. Its development paralleled initiatives from entities like the Russell Sage Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to professionalize public administration after World War II. Over decades the Center adapted to policy shifts from the Reagan Revolution to the Affordable Care Act debate, collaborating with governors involved in landmark moments such as negotiations following the 9/11 attacks and responses to the Great Recession (2007–2009). Leadership has included figures who later interacted with institutions like the National Conference of State Legislatures and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mission and Organization

The Center’s mission aligns with the NGA’s bipartisan structure and aims to provide actionable guidance to executives within states and territories such as Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Organizationally it comprises issue-specific divisions modeled on frameworks used by the RAND Corporation, the Urban Institute, and the Heritage Foundation for policy analysis. Staff collaborate with subject matter experts from entities including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Enterprise Institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Governance involves chairs from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, working with executive directors and advisory boards drawing membership from governors’ offices, university research centers like Harvard Kennedy School, and philanthropic partners such as the Gates Foundation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs span state-level reform and crisis response, reflecting models used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initiatives have included workforce development collaborations similar to projects at the Department of Labor, broadband expansion efforts in concert with the Federal Communications Commission, and health policy work intersecting with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Center has run fellows programs reminiscent of the Presidential Management Fellows Program and convenings comparable to the Aspen Institute seminars. It has spearheaded task forces on education models influenced by the Every Student Succeeds Act and economic initiatives paralleling programs from the Economic Development Administration.

Research and Publications

The Center produces briefs, issue papers, toolkits, and white papers drawing on methods used by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute. Publications address topics also studied by the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Treasury Department. Reports often cite data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics. Collaborative papers have been developed with academic partners including Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and Georgetown University scholars, and have informed debates in venues like the American Bar Association and the National Association of Counties.

Policy Areas

The Center works across diverse state priorities including health care programs tied to Medicaid, workforce policies associated with the Department of Labor, education frameworks linked to the Department of Education, infrastructure projects intersecting with the Department of Transportation, and public safety efforts coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration. It addresses energy and environment issues interacting with the Environmental Protection Agency and renewable initiatives similar to those supported by the Department of Energy. Economic competitiveness work connects to entities such as the Small Business Administration and the Commerce Department.

Partnerships and Funding

Partnerships include collaborations with philanthropic organizations like the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, policy research groups such as the Brookings Institution and the Pew Charitable Trusts, and educational partners including the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy and the Harvard Kennedy School. Funding streams combine NGA dues from member states, grants from foundations, cooperative agreements with federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, and contracts with private sector partners similar to arrangements seen at the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Center’s convening role often brings together stakeholders from the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, and tribal governments represented by the National Congress of American Indians.

Category:Organizations based in Washington, D.C. Category:Public policy research organizations