Feds leave varied work experiences for D.C. roles

Friday - 8/12/2011, 9:21am EDT

Part 1

Click here to listen to the interview with Nani Coloretti and Todd Park.

Download mp3

Part 2

Click here to listen to the interview.

Download mp3

Imagine leaving a state government position in cultured San Francisco to join the federal government in Washington, D.C. Or, leaving a nimble, entrepreneurial private-sector position to join a giant bureaucracy like the Health and Human Services Department.

Two federal officials did just that, respectively: Nani Coloretti, the deputy assistant treasury secretary, and Todd Park, the chief technology officer at HHS.

In an interview with Federal News Radio, they discussed what it was like to come to D.C.as part of the special series, "Talk Back to Washington: Insight for the federal manager on the workforce outside of D.C."

Transitioning from the private sector government comes with its own set of growing pains, both joys and challenges, they said.