Introduction

Foreword by Frank Weil

This new, online Prune Book has one overriding purpose: to help the 44th president of the United States accomplish one of his earliest and most difficult tasks, which is to staff the Executive Branch agencies with managers entrusted to carry out the new president’s agenda. This challenge likely will spell the success or failure of the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, as it has for many before him.

The 2008 Prune Book is the first in the series to be published entirely online, in a fully searchable format. The Prune series started as a 625-page hardcover almanac in 1988 by the Council for Excellence in Government. Over these two decades scores of important Executive Branch positions have been profiled, but not always the same ones. The need for excellence in government is a constant, but the particular jobs profiled in The Prune Books have changed, as times and priorities shifted. The September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States forever changed the country’s needs to protect the security of the homeland, and this Prune Book more closely reflects the daunting challenges that confront the newest Cabinet agency, the Department of Homeland Security. The financial crisis that shook the pillars of Wall Street and sped pandemic-like around the globe in the final weeks of the presidential campaign leaves President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress facing enormous challenges as they seek to guide the country and the world back to the paths of prosperity and growth. The 2008 Prune Book sheds light on the pressing needs for better financial regulation – and better regulators.

In keeping with the advance of technology, The Prune Book was converted into a major web presence; to borrow a bit of computer vernacular, this is Prunes 2.0. It links to a wealth of information from the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Government Ethics, Congress and other sources explaining the challenges facing President-elect Obama and his management team. In electronic format, instead of bound between covers, the 2008 Prune Book becomes a living resource for government executives, personnel directors, job hopefuls, Congress and the news media that will be updated throughout the new president’s term and beyond.

Moving The Prune Book online makes this public service resource freely available to a much wider audience. Traditionally this guide has been of greatest interest to members of the President-elect’s transition team and other talent scouts for the new administration, as well as the tens of thousands hoping they will be called upon to serve in a high level position. But The Prune Book also has proved a valuable resource for U.S. Senators and staffs on committees that handle presidential nominations, and for reporters seeking to tell the story of who the new president is bringing on board and the particular challenges those newcomers on the job.

Each profile suggests the skill sets needed for particular executive jobs and draws out broader management qualifications and attributes that the president should consider in sending nominations forward to the Senate. The profiles also list the incumbent and predecessors for each job going back to the Clinton administration and share insights from many about the present-day challenges of these jobs.

In 2009, The Prune Book was moved to the National Academy of Public Administration where it is currently housed.  Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress, the National Academy is a non-profit, independent coalition of top public management and organizational leaders who tackle the nation's most critical and complex challenges.  The 600 distinguished Fellows and experienced professional staff at the Academy are uniquely qualified and trusted across government to provide objective advice and practical solutions.  The National Academy, referred to as the "Home of Good Government," continues to make a positive impact by helping federal, state and local governments respond effectively to current circumstances and changing conditions. 

This online Prune Book builds on the foundation created by now retired John H. Trattner, who authored all The Prune Books from 1988 to 2004, including the first, aptly subtitled, The 100 Toughest Management and Policy-Making Jobs in Washington. The Prune name was a play on the fact that political appointments are often referred to as “plum jobs.” Prunes, in the Academy’s lexicon, are “plums hardened by experience.” People inside and outside the Beltway laughed at the joke – and remembered the new resource almanac on appointments.

Today, this online Prune Book remains true to that first mission of describing those toughest management and policy jobs, with insights drawn from the extensive research and interviews and surveys with current and past holders of these jobs, under both Republican and Democratic presidents. The Academy will also be reaching out to past leaders of Presidential transitions, White House Chiefs of Staff, Senators and Committee staff, key career employees, and other experts and will share their wisdom and advice online in this new, living Prune Book. 

    Jennifer L. Dorn
    President and CEO
    The National Academy of Public Administration
    June 1, 2009