All-Star Panel to discuss “The Future of Public Service” at Celebration of the American Public Servant 250 Gala

A panel of renowned public service leaders will join the National Academy of Public Administration's Celebration of the American Public Servant 250 Gala held on Monday, June 22, at the Library of Congress, to discuss the future of public service. 

The panel will include Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Il.), Mayor of Washington, DC Muriel Bowser, Inspector General for the Federal Reserve Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Michael Horowitz, former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, and moderator James-Christian Blockwood, President and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration.  

Duckworth, a decorated U.S. Army Veteran and Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the United States Army, was among the first women to fly combat missions during the Iraq War. Before she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017, representing Illinois’s 8^th District, and held the role of Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2009 to 2011.  

We’re also pleased to welcome Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has served as the city’s mayor since 2015 and has extensive experience working in local government. As a DC native, Bowser has been actively involved in the capital community prior to her role as mayor. From 2004 to 2006, she served on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and was a member of the Council of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2015.  

Alongside Duckworth and Bowser will be Michael Horowitz. Horowitz’s role as Inspector General has allowed him to remain an independent, nonpartisan “watchdog” of a government agency, a crucial part of public service and oversight. At the Federal Reserve Board and the CFBP, he manages a team of approximately 130, who help ensure efficiency and reduce corruption within the agency. He previously served as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice from 2012 to 2025, working under three different presidents.  

We’ll also be joined by the 19^th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, JoAnne Bass. As Chief Master Sergeant, Bass represented the highest level of enlisted leadership in the Air Force and was the first woman to assume the office in any branch of the U.S. military. In this role, she provided guidance for those actively enlisted in the Air Force and served as the senior adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. Since retiring in 2024, Bass has used her platform to speak out on issues related to national security and veterans' affairs.  

Each panelist exemplifies what it means to be a public servant. The Academy is honored to host these leaders for “The Future of Public Service” Panel on June 22 at the Library of Congress.  

The academy invites all to come and join in celebrating these public servants--and so many more--in person. For more information about attending the Celebration of the American Public Servant 250 Gala: https://napawash.org/caps