FEDup Features: The Legacy of the Federal Executive Boards

Tanira Hamilton
Mar 8
3 min read

Shout out to Kelly L. DeGraff / FEDup Features

For 63 years, the Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) served as the connective tissue of the federal workforce outside of Washington, D.C., fostering interagency collaboration, emergency preparedness, workforce development, and community engagement. Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the FEBs were designed to break down bureaucratic silos and ensure that federal agencies worked together efficiently at the regional level. What began as a modest initiative to improve communication between agencies evolved into a critical network that strengthened public service delivery across the nation.

As Deputy Associate Director Kelly L. DeGraff highlighted in her extraordinary review of the FEBs’ impact, these boards were far more than administrative entities. They became powerhouses of federal cooperation, ensuring that agencies weren’t working in isolation but instead leveraging shared resources to respond to national crises, train the next generation of leaders, and create a more effective and accountable government.

A Legacy of Innovation and Service

The FEBs weren’t just forums for discussion—they were action-driven networks that brought federal agencies together to solve real-world problems. They addressed workforce development, hiring challenges, community engagement, and disaster response. With over 85% of federal employees working outside of Washington, D.C., the FEBs played a crucial role in making federal programs accessible and responsive to local needs.

Among their many accomplishments, the FEBs:

Led emergency preparedness efforts, coordinating interagency disaster response drills for events like hurricanes, wildfires, and terrorist threats.
Developed leadership training programs, such as the Seattle Leadership Associates Program, which equipped emerging federal leaders with mentorship and cross-agency collaboration experience.
Fostered workforce diversity and inclusion, sponsoring DEIA committees and mentorship initiatives to support underrepresented talent in federal service.
Championed cross-agency recognition programs, celebrating the excellence and dedication of federal employees through awards and public acknowledgment.
Built talent pipelines, partnering with educational institutions to attract young professionals into public service and ensure a steady flow of mission-driven employees into government careers.
Created cost-effective training programs, allowing agencies to pool resources for professional development, saving taxpayer dollars while strengthening the workforce.

These efforts were not theoretical; they directly impacted millions of Americans, ensuring that vital federal services—from disaster relief to public health protections—were executed efficiently and effectively.

The FEB Forward Initiative: Transforming the Future

Recognizing the immense value of the FEB network, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched the FEB Forward initiative in 2023, an ambitious effort to modernize and strengthen the boards. Led by DeGraff and her team, this transformation sought to standardize funding, expand program reach, and provide more structured leadership.

Some of the major enhancements included:

🔹 Creation of the Center for Federal Executive Boards, unifying FEB operations under a centralized, structured leadership model.

🔹 A new funding model, replacing inconsistent local budgets with stable financial support from the Chief Financial Officers Act.

🔹 Regional coordination, organizing FEBs into four geographic regions (Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western) for better resource-sharing.

🔹 A Field Advisory Council (FAC), ensuring that agency leaders had a direct voice in shaping policies and best practices.

The result? Unprecedented engagement. The FEBs reached 30,000+ federal employees in their final year, growing partnerships by 30% and expanding services to regions that had previously lacked FEB support.

The Unjust End: A Loss for the American People

Despite their undeniable success, the FEBs met an untimely end in February 2025 when President Trump issued an Executive Order dissolving the Boards. The decision, driven by the administration’s broader effort to dismantle federal structures, ignored decades of success, collaboration, and tangible impact.

It was a stunning and unnecessary loss—one that stripped the federal workforce of its most effective interagency coordination tool. The FEBs had been proven time and time again to make government work better, particularly for the 85% of federal employees who don’t work in Washington.

But while the boards may be gone, their legacy endures.

A Lasting Impact: The FEB Network Lives On

The relationships forged through the FEBs will continue to shape the future of federal service. Many of those who participated in FEB programs have carried their collaborative mindset into senior government roles.

"The structures may change, but the relationships built through these Boards will continue," said Dennis Gonzales, former Chair of the New York FEB. "I still call colleagues I met through the FEB ten years ago when I need perspective outside my agency. That network of trust is a strong legacy."

The dissolution of the FEBs was a reckless political maneuver that deprived the government of a proven model for collaboration. But the principles they championed—efficiency, innovation, and public service—will not be erased.

As we move forward, it is crucial to remember the success of the FEBs and advocate for a government that prioritizes coordination, public service, and effectiveness over political gamesmanship. The FEBs may be gone, but their impact lives on.