GovernmentExecutive.com

Now that we've returned to our regularly-scheduled blogmistress, it's time for me to pack my bags and go. Sincere thanks to Alyssa for having me on, and thanks to all of you for playing along in the comments.

Before I depart, I have the honor of breaking a little bit of news (you heard it here first!): Pending the confirmation of Martha Johnson as GSA Administrator -- which is looking like a pretty safe bet -- the National Academy of Public Administration's own Danielle Germain will be leaving to take a position as the agency's Chief of Staff.

If I may, a point of personal privilege: I had the great good fortune to work with Danielle here at the National Academy for nearly a year, and she is a stellar choice for this position. Aside from a host of great personal and leadership qualities, Danielle's passion for collaboration (both the Interwebs kind and otherwise) will be a key asset in making sure that GSA -- which has been a real leader in government's social networking efforts -- maintains that position and continues to be a pacesetter across federal space. All of us here at the National Academy wish her luck and success in this exciting new challenge. (And for once, I get to cover a National Academy personnel change before Chris Dorobek!)

With all the focus on folks transitioning into the new administration, we sometimes forget to keep track of the folks leaving the last one. This morning brings news of Michael Mukasey's next stop: Debevoise & Plimpton, a high-powered D.C. litigation outfit.

Possibly worth noting is Mukasey's reason for joining Debevoise, rather than his old firm, Patterson Belknap. Per an interview with the WSJ Law Blog:

Why did you choose Debevoise?

It’s particularly strong in litigation and in conducting major corporate investigations and preparing reports to boards. Also, it has many former government lawyers, including Mary Jo.

Yeah, I guess that should keep him pretty busy for the next decade or so.

From Darrell Issa:

Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Members for the 111th Congress:

Domestic Policy: Rep. Jim. Jordan (OH)

Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT)

Government Management, Organization, and Procurement: Rep. Brian Bilbray (CA)

Information Policy, Census, and National Archives: Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC)

National Security and Foreign Affairs: Rep. Jeff Flake (AZ)

And I mean SERIOUS hiring. They're looking for 2,100 professional staffers and 850 special agents. Details are here, so if you've ever wanted to emulate Seeley Booth, you're all set!

Several years ago, I held a little contest on Fedblog to list people whose names fit their jobs perfectly. I got some great responses, ranging from Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Peter Seaman to former National Credit Union Administration Chairman Dennis Dollar.

I was reminded of that endeavor this morning when the Congressional Budget Office announced its new acting director, replacing Peter Orszag, who President-elect Obama just named to head OMB.

So who's the new guy who's job it is to bring the federal budget to light for lawmakers? Robert Sunshine.

We've gotten off to an incredibly fast start on the Presidential transition, but one thing I haven't seen considered so far: who will President-Elect Obama appoint to fill important slots at certain overlooked departments and agencies, most of which, as far as I can tell, are covered only by The Onion. Clearly, the next Dread Secretary of the Department of Evil will have to operate within severe budget constraints, though he or she may be able to look outside the public sector to the Evil League of Evil. Obama will have to consider his connections to Hollywood carefully as he choses a Secretary of Mid-Level Talent and to seniors as he appoints a Secretary of Naps. In the interests of foreign relations, and as a gesture to small-government conservatives, however, Obama might consider shutting down the Department of the Exterior. And of course, he'll have to deal with the U.N. Undersecretary Your Mother Warned You About.

These are challenging times ahead, to be sure. But with any luck, administrations change but nerdy governance humor is forever.

Looks like the Washington Post has found a replacement for its bought-out "Federal Diary" columnist, Steve Barr. Fishbowl D.C. has gotten its hands on an internal Post announcement that the new columnist will be Joe Davidson, a Metro section editor. In what may or may not be a telling sign, Davidson recently has overseen the paper's religion page.

Prior to joining the Post, Davidson covered various government agencies at the Wall Street Journal. And before that, he worked in Philadelphia as chief of the city hall bureau for the Bulletin newspaper.

One of the government's most experienced acquisition professionals has found a new home in the private sector. Compusearch, a provider of specialized acquisition and grants management software for federal agencies, announced Tuesday that Deidre A. Lee will join the firm as director of all its operations serving defense and intelligence agencies.

Lee has served as director of acquisition at the Federal Emergency Management Agency since April 2006. Prior to that, she had a brief stint as an assistant commissioner at the General Services Administration. She's also held a variety of other senior procurement positions throughout her three decades in government, including director of defense procurement at the Pentagon, associate administrator for procurement at NASA and head of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy during the Clinton administration.

“I look forward to applying my government experience through industry to help build a more effective and efficient government that better meets America’s needs," Lee said.

David Bibb, the acting administrator of the General Services Administration, has found a new chief acquisition officer for the agency: Ted Haddad, a Senior Executive Service member who has served in the Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer since last year. Before that, Haddad had an extensive career in the government contracting industry and served as an acquisition executive for the Air Force in the early 1990s.

The GSA job came open when Molly Wilkinson departed to join the Small Business Administration earlier this year. Since then, David Drabkin has filled the job on an acting basis.

It's the end of an era at the Council for Excellence in Government, with the announcement that president and CEO Patricia McGinnis will step down later this year.

The council has been around for 25 years, working to improve government's performance and engage the public in understanding the value of public service. McGinnis has been at the helm of the organization since 1994. The list of her accomplishments is long and varied, from revitalizing Public Service Recognition Week to creating the SAGE (Strategic Advisers to Government Executives) program. Government Executive has worked closely with McGinnis and her colleagues at the council on special projects and events, such as the Excellence in Government conference.

“I’m proud of our accomplishments, which are a tribute to the passion for public service, entrepreneurial spirit and insistence on results by our trustees, principals, staff and our many colleagues and partners in government and the private sector," said McGinnis in her announcement. "In this year of change and transition, the time seems right for new leadership at the council and for me to explore new ways to continue my work in the public interest.”

The council's board of trustees has formed a presidential search committee to find a successor to McGinnis. She'll stay at the helm until that person is found.

Stay tuned to GovernmentExecutive.com later this week for an interview with McGinnis about her accomplishments and her future.