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Transforming Public Governance Institutions Working Group header

Fellows John Kirlin, Mark Pisano, and Rich Callahan organized a series of sessions to explore NAPA’s evolving role in responding to the shifting landscape of public institutions. As our government continues to change, so too must we—reexamining how we align with these transformations to better meet the needs of the public. How can we most effectively serve the public and support those who serve within our institutions?

If you are interested in joining this effort, please reach out to Jillian McGuffey at jmcguffey@napawash.org.

Session 1: Framing

Fellows John Kirlin, Mark Pisano, and Rich Callahan convened a group of Fellows to have a conversation about transforming public governance institutions in the United States on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 2:00 pm (ET). We had a thematic conversation, emphasizing understanding, refinement, revisions, and different framing. The slides below are background and were not “presented” serially.

Transforming Public Governance Institutions Slides

View a summary of the conversation below:

Transforming Public Institutions Session 1 Zoom summary

Session 2

The Transforming Public Governance Institutions Working Group met on October 1 from 1-2:30 pm ET. The group discussed how to most accurately and effectively develop ideas relevant to the Working Group and how to move the Working Group's ideas and products to broader audiences and actors. The first Working Group session on July 9 was successful, and the group built on that success.

We encourage you to view this partial draft manuscript developed from the earlier slide deck and comments by Fellows at the first meeting.

Read the Summary for Session 2

Session 3: Next Steps for NAPA

The Transforming Public Governance Institutions Working Group is hosting a panel on Monday, November 3, from 2-3:15 pm during the National Conference. The conversation will feature John Kirlin, Distinguished Professor at McGeorge School of Law, Matt Chase, CEO and Executive Director of NaCo, Chris Morrill, Executive Director and CEO of GFOA, and Barbara Dyer, Research Affiliate and Senior Fellow at Sloan School of Management.

Please review these slides prior to the conversation in November.