Mission & Vision

Vision

We envision a public sector workforce with the experience, preparation, and commitment to ensure government is accountable and delivers with excellence.

Beliefs

The Volcker Alliance is a nonprofit founded in 2013 by former Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul A. Volcker, dedicated to advancing his vision of an empowered public sector workforce. We promote innovation in public service education, empower rising leaders to build the democracy of our future, connect talent to city, state, and federal government jobs, and inspire others with the story of Mr. Volcker’s commitment to public service. We believe:

• Public service is a higher calling, and it is critical to engage our most thoughtful and accomplished citizens in service to the public good.

• Government functions best when its system of civil service is independent, stable, and staffed by public servants who are experienced and expert in their domains.

• Our public workforce and government institutions must be dynamic: designed to encourage innovation, leverage technology, and adapt to the needs of a changing nation in an evolving global context.

• The performance of our government institutions depends critically on the training and education of talented public servants, and this responsibility is shared by our government, by our institutions of higher education, and by leading institutions in every sector of society.

• Government must be a responsible steward of financial resources, diligent in avoiding waste, assiduous in seeking evidence to assess the effectiveness of its initiatives, and proactive in helping citizens understand the long-term sustainability of its operations.

Our Approach

Our work is organized into four “lenses” to advance our mission: (1) promote innovation in public service education; (2) empower rising leaders to build the democracy of our future; (3) connect talent to city, state, and federal government jobs; and (4) inspire others with the story of Mr. Volcker’s commitment to public service. All our work focuses on the people at the core of government service delivery—people who provide a steadfast source of optimism during an unsettled time for our democracy. Our most impactful initiatives cut across all lenses, educating, empowering, connecting, and inspiring current and future public servants.

Our Commitment to Diversity

At the Volcker Alliance, we commit to investing in a long-term effort to meaningfully diversify government. We work to empower public servants from diverse backgrounds and support them to reach positions of influence in government. We believe that only through the inclusion and elevation of diverse perspectives can government identify and act on the best solutions to our nation’s most complex challenges.