Mark A. Abramson is President of Leadership Inc., a company specializing in assisting leading corporations and non-profits in the development of thought leadership, including publications and events.

Career Overview

Mr. Abramson has had a unique career. He was instrumental in creating two cutting-edge organizations dedicated to improving management in government. In 1998, he helped create the IBM Center for the Business of Government. He served as Executive Director of the IBM Center for the Business of Government from 1998 to 2007. During his tenure, the IBM Center published more than 200 reports and books examining a variety of topics related to the management of government and public service. As Executive Director, he oversaw all Center publications, Center events for government executives, The Business of Government magazine, the Business of Government radio hour, and the Center’s website. At the Center, he planned and administered over 50 events for government executives. He is currently a consultant to the IBM Center.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Abramson was one of the founders of the Council for Excellence in Government. He served as first President of the Council, serving from 1983 to 1994. While at the Council, he was instrumental in creating the Principals program, the Prune Book series, and the Excellence in Government Fellows program.

From 1977 to 1983, Mr. Abramson served as a senior program evaluator in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 1979 to 1983, he led a four-year evaluation study of the impact of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 on the department. From 1975 to 1977, he was a research associate at the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. While at NAS/NRC, he wrote The Funding of Social Research and Development.

Mr. Abramson’s career includes serving as a Faculty Member in the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Publications

Throughout his career, Mr. Abramson has published numerous books and articles. He is the co-editor of The Operators Manual for the New Administration, Getting It Done: A Guide for Government Executives, Learning the Ropes: Insights for Political Appointees, and co-author of the forthcoming Paths to Making a Difference: Leading in Government. Mr. Abramson serves as editor of the Business of Government Book Series, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. He is the author or editor of 16 books and has published more than 100 articles on public management. From 2005 to 2008, he served as on the editorial board of the Public Administration Review as Case Study Editor. He has also served as a Contributing Editor to Government Executive and as a member of the Board of Editors and Forum Editor for The Public Manager.

Involvement in Public Service and the Public Management Community

During his career as a public servant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Abramson became an active member in the public administration and public management communities. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 1992. Mr. Abramson is also past President of the National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of the American Society for Public Administration.

Since 1995, Mr. Abramson has served as an evaluator and team leader for the Innovations in American Government Awards Program sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mr. Abramson has also served on the selection panel for the Truman Scholars and on the Office of Personnel Management's Pay Reform Task Force. In 2009, he was appointed by Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to serve on the Presidential Rank Review Board, which reviewed nominations for the Distinguished Rank Awards given to members of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service. He was appointed by the City Manager of Alexandria, Virginia to serve on the Citizens Advisory Group on Public Management.

Awards

In August 2005, Mr. Abramson was recognized by the Center for Leadership and Management at the Graduate School, USDA for "Outstanding Leadership and a Life Long Commitment to Public Service and Collaboration." In 2003, he was recognized for distinguished public service by Phi Alpha Sigma, the honorary public administration society. Mr. Abramson is also a recipient of ASPA’s NCAC Distinguished Service award. Mr. Abramson was awarded the Laverne Burchfield Award for his article "The Leadership Factor," which was selected as the Best Book Review of 1989 published in Public Administration Review. In 1989, he received the Elmer B. Staats Award for Accountability in Government by the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Conferences

In October 2005, Mr. Abramson was a participant in the International Conference on Public Management in North America held in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1994, Mr. Abramson was selected as one of six Americans to participate in The Fulbright Symposium on Public Sector Reform held in Brisbane, Australia. In the United States, Mr. Abramson served as a member of the Program Committee of the 1996 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Public Administration. In 1999, 1997 and 1995, he served as co-chair of Annual Fall Meeting of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 1999, he participated in an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conference on public management in Paris, France.

Education

M.A., Political Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1973

M.A., History, New York University, 1971

B.A., Florida State University, 1968 (Major: Political Science; Minor: History)

Professional Experience

Leadership Inc., Chairman, 1994 to present

The IBM Center for the Business of Government, Executive Director, 1998 to 2007

George Mason University, Faculty Member, Department of Public and International Affairs, 1994 to 1999, 2011

Government Executive, Contributing Editor, 1994 to 1998

The Council for Excellence In Government, President, 1983 to 1994

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Senior Program Evaluator, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 1977 to 1983

National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, Research Associate, Study Project on Social Research and Development, 1975 to 1977

Columbia University, Research Associate, 1974

Commission to Investigate the Black Panthers and the Police, Research Assistant, 1969 to 1971

VISTA (now AmeriCorps), Volunteer, Chicago, Illinois, 1968 to 1969