Federal Drive Show Blog – May 24, 2013

On the Federal Drive show blog, you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories...

This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories and resources we discuss.

Dave Lavery
Program Executive for Solar System Exploration
NASA

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Throughout this summer, Federal News Radio will interview each of the federal workers nominated for the annual Service to America Medals, which honor outstanding federal employees for their important, behind-the-scenes work advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans. Today, Tom and Emily had the chance to chat with Dave Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration with NASA. He led the Curiosity rover mission to Mars.

Learn more about each of the finalists and read Federal News Radio’s Q&As with each of the nominees here.

Davia Temin
Marketing Consultant
Temin and Company

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After a long trial, Ronald Reagan’s former Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan was acquitted of fraud. Then he asked, “Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?” Congress and the Justice Department are still looking into the IRS’ handling of conservative groups who applied for tax-exempt status, but the agency may be asking the same question. How can it clear its name and regain trust? Marketing Consultant Davia Temin spoke with Tom and Emily about how to best manage a reputation crisis.

Ed Zurndorfer
Registered Employee Benefits Consultant

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Many of us dream of retiring overseas, but there’s more to it from a financial perspective than meets the eye. Registered Employee Benefits Consultant Ed Zurndorfer joined Tom and Emily with Part 2 of his tips on the practical way to sail off into the sunset. Specifically, Zurndorfer discussed what retirees need to do to receive their Social Security benefits when they live overseas. Check out Part 1 of Ed’s interview here.

Aaron Dorfman
Executive Director
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

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The Combined Federal Campaign, as we know it, is about to change. The Office of Personnel Management has proposed two dozen tweaks. OPM says the changes will save money, increase accountability and make it easier for feds to give money. Plenty of groups, however, don’t like the plan. Aaron Dorfman is the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. He told Tom and Emily the new plan would cut some charities out of the world’s largest workplace fundraiser.

Also on the show:

From Our Reporters:

  • The Department of Veterans Affairs has moved to an oldest-claims-first approach as it continues to struggle against a backlog of more than 500,000 overdue claims for disability payments. VA says it’s working. A month from now, officials expect they’ll have cleared out every claim that’s been pending for two years or more. Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu covered a recent hearing on the backlog. Read his article and listen to his report.
  • The Office of Management and Budget marked the one-year anniversary of the Digital Government Strategy Thursday by expanding the range of ways agencies can use smartphones, tablet computers and mobile apps. Federal News Radio’s Jason Miller is following the story. Read his article or listen to his conversation with Tom and Emily.

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