Presidential Transition
Welcome to GSA's Presidential Transition Website
GSA has a major role to play and essential services to provide in our country's presidential transition process.
Learn How GSA Assists Each Transitioning Administration
The support GSA provides to the presidential transition process is essential to ensuring a smooth transfer of Executive Branch operations.
- Overview
- About Presidential Transitions
- For the Executive Branch
- For Nominees / Appointees
- Laws & Regulations
- Resources
Resources
Orchestrating a smooth transition between Presidential Administrations is akin to a bravura juggling act: many balls must be keep in the air simultaneously, each touched when necessary, and none dare be dropped.
GSA provides the resources herein to assist in this performance on the world-stage.
Essential Reading and Reference
To assist those involved in the transition from one administration to the next, GSA has compiled a bibliography of pertinent reading material. It ranges from official government publications (e.g., Congressional Research Service, Presidential Transitions) to "think tank" studies (e.g., “Ready to Govern, Partnership for Public Service) to books and articles (e.g., “You Won, Now What?" by Taegan D. Goddard and Christopher Riback).
The following publications and online resources are “required reading” for anyone seeking a Presidentially Appointed position.
The Plum Book, published by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform, lists over 7,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment, nationwide.
Data covers positions such as agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials.
PrunesOnline, formerly known as the "Prune Book" inventories and describes the toughest management and policy-making jobs in the federal government. It is essential reading for any of the 120 Presidentially-appointed jobs it covers.
The National Academy of Public Administration – the Home of Good Government -- hosts this online resource. The Academy is a non-profit, independent coalition of top public management and organizational leaders and professional staff who share the goal of helping government provide accountable, efficient, effective and transparent organizations that deliver results.
Who's Who in the Federal Government, a website published by the University of Memphis, provides biographical and other information about key officials in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the Federal government.
The Operator's Manual, is a publication of the IBM Center for the Business of Government Book Series. It is a guide to how government works and how to make it work to advance policy goals and objectives. It presents descriptions of the most important tools and levers that executives can use to advance agency goals and the president's agenda. This Manual will help executives understand the terrain of government, become familiar with the terms and lingo used inside agencies, and know how to effectively use the tools of government.
GOVERNMENT PRIMER
For those who might need a quick civics refresher, we've provided a short primer on the federal government.
ONLINE RESOURCES
A deep and wide range of information relevant to the transition from one Presidential Administration to the next is now available online.
We've compliled an extensive list of the best online material and organized it by source organization:
