Leaders across all levels of government convened this week at the Library of Congress for a celebration of public service and inspiration for the next generation of government leaders.
Hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration, the Monday evening event carved out a moment to commemorate the important careers of public servants, while also recognizing the value of giving back to communities and building trust in public institutions. As the U.S. approaches its 250th birthday, speakers emphasized the need to strengthen government for decades to come.
Former Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, who spent more than 50 years working at the Government Accountability Office, was honored with NAPA’s first-ever “Keeper of the Public Trust” award, recognizing Dodaro’s decades spent in public service and longstanding commitment to bipartisan improvements, trust and accountability across government.
In his acceptance speech, Dodaro highlighted the importance of public servants and the need to focus on long-term perspectives in government, across years of budget cycles and frequently changing presidential administrations.
“Public servants need to continue to focus on the long view, the machinery of government, the nuts and bolts that make things work, that are critical to implementing any policy agenda that elected officials desire to pursue to make our country better economically, better for national security and homeland security, and better for our American people,” Dodaro said.
Dodaro added that “being patient and persistent” is a hallmark of effective public service.
“You need to always continue to press issues that you think need to be dealt with successfully, look for targets of opportunities, build coalitions among people, build trusted relationships across branches of government, across levels of government, across international allies and partners as well. And that takes dedication and focus and commitment,” he said.
The academy’s event debuted a pop-up installation on public service at the Library of Congress, featuring an array of stories from government workers.
The evening’s program included firsthand stories from several long-time public servants who discussed their personal experiences working in government, and the dedication they felt to the mission — though often with their work occurring behind the scenes.
Kaity Wolfe, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for House affairs, told an audience of hundreds that during her career, her sense of purpose and dedication to public service was “truly crystallized” during her time working at the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
“What made this experience so meaningful wasn’t simply the work itself, it was what the work represented,” Wolfe said. “We examined waste, fraud, abuse. We studied the hard lessons over a 20-year conflict. But above all, we asked very difficult questions and followed the facts wherever they led.”
“That experience has taught me something that I’ve carried throughout my career ever since,” Wolfe said. “Public service isn’t about protecting institutions; it’s about strengthening them. It means being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. It means being transparent with the public. And sometimes it means having the courage to say things that are uncomfortable but necessary.”
Wolfe was part of a “stories of service” panel also including comments from Kenneth Corbin, chief of IRS Taxpayer Services; David Lebryk, former fiscal assistant secretary and former acting secretary of the Treasury; William Phillips, a Nobel laureate in physics at NIST; House Sergeant at Arms Maj. Gen. William J. Walker (ret.); and Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.
An emphasis on public service as a career-long commitment also emerged in a separate panel discussing the future of public service. Michael Horowitz, current inspector general of the Federal Reserve Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and former IG of the Justice Department, emphasized what he believes truly matters at the end of decades of service — and what he would tell the next generation of aspiring public sector leaders.
Public service isn’t about protecting institutions; it’s about strengthening them. It means being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. It means being transparent with the public. And sometimes it means having the courage to say things that are uncomfortable but necessary.
– Kaity Wolfe, State Department deputy assistant secretary for House affairs
“You’ll never regret a single day you spent in public service,” Horowitz said. “Looking back on your career, you’ll never think about that billable hour you didn’t do. You’ll think about all the good you did, because you can do so much good at so many different levels.”
“There’s so much you can offer to the public and help the public with, and help our communities with, and give back to the community,” Horowitz continued. “Looking back 40 years later, you never will think about anything other than, I’m glad I gave back to the country.”
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass (ret.) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined Horowitz onstage for the panel discussion. And Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) spoke to the audience about her own experience and appreciation for public servants.
In his final remarks to the audience, Dodaro emphasized the critical importance of recruiting the next generation of public servants.
“You’ve got to work hard to recruit people — give internships, nurture people, mentor those people, develop those people. Without that talent base going forward, we’re not going to be successful,” Dodaro said. “But I have every confidence that with following these principles and seeing what I’ve seen about the potential of people who are currently in the public service, that the next 250 years will be as remarkable as the past.”