The Federal Communicators Network (FCN) consists of more than 750 federal employees who represent all facets of government media. Its mission is to "transform government by empowering employees through information." It was created in 1996 by the then National Performance Review (now the National Partnership for Reinventing Government) in response to a request by Vice President Gore to find new ways to communicate and encourage innovation in government "on the front line."

FCN membership is open to all federal employees with a responsibility for internal or external communications, including press officers, writers, editors, webmasters, trainers, and program managers. Membership also includes non-federal communicators who reach a federal audience. An informal organization, FCN is led by a small steering committee made up of volunteers from several federal agencies. The FCN website provides access to communication tools and resources, reinvention news and events, and an interactive discussion forum co-sponsored by Government Executive magazine. The FCN holds professional workshops several times a year on issues affecting government communications policy and strategy. You may apply to join online.

The Senior Fellows Program is comprised of graduates of the Excellence in Government Fellowship Program, a one-year leadership development program for mid-level federal managers offered by the Council for Excellence in Government. Participants are nominated by their agencies and selected through a competitive process among applicants across the entire federal government. The program, now in its 12th year, has graduated more than 1,200 Fellows. The Senior Fellows program is supported by contributions and training fees from individual participants, matching funds from the Council, and other private grants and gifts, but no direct federal appropriations. The website for the Senior Fellows is http://project.sciencewise.com/srfellows/.

The Council for Excellence in Government is a non-profit, non-partisan, organization formed 15 years ago to help advance leadership and innovation in American government and better results for the American people. The Council offers leadership development and advisory services to agencies and officials; conducts special projects funded by private and public sector organizations; and builds partnerships among government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations to accomplish mutual goals and missions. All of the Council's 700 members, or Principals, are former senior public officials, currently in leadership roles in corporate and other private sector organizations. Individual membership contributions, as well as project grants and other financial support from government agencies, corporations, and philanthropic foundations support the Council. Current projects include the Partnership for Trust in Government, a new e-government consortium, the Innovations in American Government Awards program with the Ford Foundation and the Kennedy School of Government, and also a series of workshops for journalists, "Government from the Inside," funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The Council website is http://www.excelgov.org.