August 2014

What a Month!

with Newsletter Editor, Elizabeth Fischer Laurie

This past month has been a bit of a whirlwind for many of us. Between changes at YGL, NextGen, and a summer of fun activities, time is flying by. It was truly difficult to decide what we should share with you this month, certainly a great problem to have.

The most difficult challenge for me was choosing photos from NextGen and the NextGen Public Service Awards. There were so many absolutely incredible moments throughout the three-day period. For those who attended, I hope it was as transformative as it always is for us on the National Board. Also, whether you were able to attend or not, I hope you will take a few minutes to check out more of the pictures at the links provided to see all the awesome moments for yourself.

As things slow a bit over the coming weeks, I know I will be taking time to reflect on this crazy month to figure out how to apply this knowledge to my daily life. Wishing you the time and energy to do the same.

President's Corner

by Ginny Hill

Summer is supposed to be that slow paced, relaxing season, right? Well, not for YGL! We have been busy this summer. This newsletter is chock full of updates and info on all the summer fun we've been having. We are fresh off the Next Generation of Government Summit at which 700 public servants gathered in Arlington, VA for this two-day government energizer! We learned a lot, met some great people, and heard some inspiring speakers.

If you're intrigued by what you read here, it's not too late to get involved! Come to a YGL event, encourage your friends and colleagues to become YGL members, or even start a Chapter in your local area if there isn't one already!  We ARE the next generation of government, and we've got to bring energy and enthusiasm to public service. If there's anything I can do to help you at your agency, email me at president@younggov.org! 

YGL is Seeking Leaders Willing to Take Action

We are currently seeking candidates to fill three open YGL National Board Positions. Serving as a volunteer on the Board can offer you amazing connections, a powerful platform for having your voice hear, and, most importantly, a direct way to add value to emerging government leaders around the United States. See below for a description of the roles and responsibilities for each of the positions. 

Please contact chiefofstaff@younggov.org for more information.

To apply, please submit your resume and statement of interest to chairman@younggov.org.

Chapter and Member Services Director

Roles and Responsibilities:

 Coordinate, schedule, and conduct monthly conference calls with YGL Chapter Presidents.
 Manage communications with chapters to ensure chapters are staying “active” and consistent with YGL, survey chapters for feedback and questions, and share key information with chapters.
 Solicit best practices, suggestions, and requests from chapters.
 Collaborate with the National Board to implement ideas provided by chapters.
 Respond to inquiries about creating new chapters in various cities throughout the United States and advise potential chapters on requirements for chapter formation.
 Manage and create performance measures for provisional and chartered chapters.
 Establish timelines for review and approval of requests for provisional chapters.
 Grant provisional status and propose chartered chapters to the National Board.
 Recruit new YGL members and promote YGL to interested parties.

Chief Financial Officer

Roles and Responsibilities:

 Responsible for tracking the organization’s financial health.
 Explores partnerships with potential YGL sponsors.
 Maintains a network of financial officer contacts and the like within other organizations to provide insight into strategies that can be leveraged at YGL.
 Maintains relationships with current sponsors and ensures contractual requirements are met to ensure continued funding.
 Works with the Chairman to ensure that bank accounts maintain healthy balances and all bills and reimbursements are paid in a timely fashion.
 Works with Board of Directors to determine a yearly strategic plan that clearly establishes financial needs for programming and operations throughout the year.

Media and Communications Director

Roles and Responsibilities:

 Responsible for developing and implementing YGL’s social media strategy to ensure exposure for YGL National and chapters.
 Update YGL’s website with relevant content for members and the public.
 Collaborate with media outlets on various levels and initiate ideas to promote YGL.
 Prepare and edit all kinds of communication (Articles, Social Media, Web Content, etc) material to promote and advertise YGL Programs and Initiatives.
 Represent YGL in print and electronic media.

We want to hear from you!

Did your chapter do something awesome this month? Have a member who deserves to be featured in an upcoming newsletter? Want to share information about a nationally available event?

Contact Newsletter Editor and YGL Chief of Staff, Elizabeth Fischer Laurie, at chiefofstaff@younggov.org to share your story. Content and photos may be featured in our newly redesigned national monthly newsletter.

Newsletter of the National Board

FREE slots for Marine Corps 10K compliments of Aetna

Join YGL members in the Marine Corps 10K! Aetna is partnering with the Marine Corps Marathon again this year and have graciously offered some free 10k slots for YGL members! The race takes place Oct 26th, starting at the intersection of 12th St and Madison Dr on the National Mall and ending 6.2 miles later at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, VA. Opening festivities begin at 7:45 a.m. with the race starting at 7:55 a.m.  Runners are required to maintain a 15 minute-per-mile pace to participate in this event.

If you’re interested in running, please contact Lillian Amaechi at eventschair@younggov.org. 

NextGen Recap

This year's NextGen was an awesome experience and was the largest NextGen yet. Over 650+ young government professionals attended the event held at the Crystal Gateway Marriot in Crystal City on July 25 and 26. It was two days of career development, skills training, networking, and just plain fun. 

There is no way that we can do an event of this caliber justice in our newsletter. NextGen is always a uniquely personal experience based on the breakout sessions you choose to attend and the folks you are lucky enough to meet. See below for some photo highlights and be sure to check out GovLoop's website for posts recapping many of the speakers we heard from during the two day conference. 

Chris Dorobek, a frequent GovLoop contributor, eloquently sums up NextGen with three takeaways:

1. Stop doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

2. Leadership isn't reserved for corner offices

3. With power comes responsibility

You can read more on his NextGen experience here.

Weren't able to attend?

If you were not able to make it in person or need to review some of what you learned, do not fret. GovLoop is hosting a virtual NextGen Watch Party on August 20th at 12:00 pm ET. You can sign up here to host a party in your office. Not only will you have access to video content from the event but you will get some NextGen swag to share with your colleagues as well.

Whether you attended in person or virtually, we hope you will take some of the excitement and learning back to your office and become a change maker. Also, we hope to see you all again next July for an even more exciting NextGen experience!

Everyday Ambassador Author and Founder, Kate Otto.

Possibly the largest game of rock, paper, scissors ever.

The rock, paper, scissors champs!

Paul Allen discussing the bestselling "Strengths Finder."

Co-emcees Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop, and Ginny Hill, YGL National President.

NextGen was jammed packed with exciting and unique breakout sessions.

Making connections is one of the best parts of NextGen.

Lightning Speaker, Quinn Bott, on Lessons Learned as a Drug Dealer in Federal Prison.

See many more photos from this amazing, two-day event on flickr.

NextGen Public Service Awards Recap

This year's NextGen Public Service Awards, which kick off the NextGen Training Summit, were bigger than ever. About 150 people gathered at the Arena Stage on July 23rd to celebrate this year's winners. David Bray, Chief Information Officer for the Federal Communications Commission and YGL Advisory Board member, emceed the event. The prestigious list of winners includes: Desmond Proctor, Deputy US Marshal who won the NextGen Exemplary Leadership Award Behrang Abadi, Web Development Manager for the City of Santa Monica who won the NextGen Innovator of the Year Award Mika J. Cross, Work/Life and Wellness Program Manager for the US Department of Agriculture who won the NextGen Silent Hero Award Karen Robinson, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Information Resources who won the NextGen Advocate Award Learn more about these amazing individuals and this extraordinary event on GovLoop.

Emcee David Bray working the crowd.

There are many more group shots in front of the GovLoop backdrop at the link below.

See more pictures from this amazing event here on GovLoop.

Success! A True Networking Happy Hour

YGL-Bethesda had this great idea: Why not have a networking happy hour with "Networking" as the theme? So that's just what they did in early July. Along with our friends at GovLoop, 50 people gathered to mingle with each other and then hear Ginny Hill (President, YGL National) and Emily Jarvis (GovLoop) speak on... you guessed it... networking! Ginny described that networking is a strategic way to build and maintain relationships; it's more than just bumping into people. It's also a mutually beneficial relationship, and you can help others by being a connector.  Other quick tips she offered:

• Arrive early and stay late at trainings and events. That's when a lot of great conversation happens.
• Conduct informational interviews with people within and outside your agency. If you're just seeking information (not a job, or asking for something), then it's non-threatening and most people love to talk about themselves so they will likely agree to the meeting.
• Come prepared to meetings and events with business cards and resumes. You never know who you'll meet.
• Keep a networking list. That way, you can remember who you met and when, which makes keeping in touch easier. 
• Make networking measurable. Commit to going to a certain number of happy hours, seminars, or informational interviews per month and keep track. It's easier to meet your goals if you make it measurable and specific. 

YGL members creating important connections.

Speaker Ginny Hill.

Government Workforce Training - September 3, 2014

If you're in the DC area or find yourself able to travel, join the Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD) for the Government Workforce training on Wednesday, September 3, 2014!  There are 16 sessions to choose from during this one-day training, and it costs less than $350. You'll attend expertly crafted sessions that tackle some of the major issues impacting government today, including, the distributed workforce, leadership development, and partnering and knowledge sharing.  Find out more and register here.

CLO Connection by Miguel Joey Aviles

We Still Need Responses for the YGL University Survey!

Only one week left - make your voice heard!

The YGL National Board has been promoting the YGL University Survey non-stop.  We had a conference call with the YGL chapter Presidents around the country and even had paper copies of the survey at the NextGen Summit.  Make your voice heard and share with us your learning and development needs. 

Please take a moment to tell us what you need, and YGL University will help you get there.  Take the survey now on Survey Monkey. 

YGL University’s purpose is to provide easy access to training, mentoring and networking opportunities to thousands of Emerging Leaders around United States. Tell us what you need, and YGL University will help you get there. 

The Latest from FEDManager.com with Lynnie Martin

Recently Lynnie Martin interviewed Ken Sosne, Director of Regional Grant Operations at the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Ken shares that the best leadership lesson is to be patient and watch how others command a room and that trust and communication are key skills for a federal employee. You can read the full article here. Each month, the Young Government Leaders' feature column offers a fresh perspective on news and information, not just for current and future generations of YGL, but to all feds interested in hearing from those who will meet the next set of challenges facing the federal government. More articles relevant to your professional life can be found on fedmanager.com.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Do you enjoy reading Lynnie's regular column on Government Executive? Now is your chance to share your story or encourage someone you admire to share their's. 

Lynnie is seeking fresh faces to interview at the GS-12 level and above. If you are interested or know someone who is, please contact her directly at lynniemartinps@gmail.com.

YGL & the Federal Times with Tyler Robinson

YGL's Chairman, Tyler Robinson, regularly writes for federaltimes.com. 

In July, Tyler wrote about sports and learning to manage a team. Specifically, he argues that sports team you to act quickly to address a problem, find trusted assistants, and not focus your energy on the "half-time speech." You can read the full article here.

Young Government Leaders is a 5,000 member, non-profit organization committed to providing the authentic voice for our generation of aspiring government leaders. We are actively building a community of leadership for young public servants across the country through professional development activities, networking opportunities, social events, seminars, fellowships, and scholarships. You can find out more and join for free on our website.