Initiative Uses Crisis the Trump-Vance Administration Has Created to Catalyze Generational Change 

First Cohort of Former Federal Workers Selected for Fellowship Positions Announced 

Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward today announced a new, innovative, and collaborative effort to reimagine and build a people-centered government and democracy – unlike anything the United States has seen: Democracy Works 250. This project will be led by the organization’s Civil Service Strong program and supported by the new class of Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellows, the first cohort of former federal employees and public-sector experts who will help build a true and enduring foundation of a vibrant and inclusive American democracy.

As part of the Democracy Works 250 launch, Civil Service Strong will convene reformers, public and private sector leaders, and federal alumni to develop strategy, launch a storytelling initiative to hear directly from the public about how it wants the government to deliver for them as well as from former federal workers regarding how to rebuild the civil service and government, build a coalition-driven workforce policy agenda to reimagine the infrastructure, operations, and personnel policy that enables an effective public workforce that can harness state of the art emerging technologies and cross-industry best practices; and debut a new talent effort to redesign core agency teams essential to effective government operations and identify skilled professionals who want to serve. 

Together, these mark the next phase of a growing national movement to rebuild the government’s capacity and reimagine how the government can work for the people.  

“Every function of government—from running programs that enable Americans to get the health care they need to ensuring safe air travel—depends on the people who do the work. Yet for decades, our civil service has been weakened by disinvestment, politicization, lack of incentivized innovation, and structural neglect. Now, the Trump-Vance administration is taking a wrecking ball to our nation’s values of public service and people-centered government. The result is a government struggling to meet the moment and a public losing faith that it can. We are committed to using the crisis that the Trump-Vance administration has created in the federal workforce as a catalyst for change with Democracy Works 250. Through this initiative, we will support reimagining a government that attracts the best and the brightest into public service, leverages innovation that occurs in both government and private sectors, and reflects the needs and experiences of all Americans in the twenty-first century,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward.  

The Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship program brings together leaders from across disciplines to strengthen the research and proposals of rebuilding the federal workforce. Fellows will document how attacks on the civil service harm the public, design solutions to modernize government systems, and expand a coalition of partners working to ensure that democracy can deliver for everyone.

“Public service is the quiet engine of democracy,” said Rob Shriver, Managing Director of the Civil Service Strong and Good Government Initiatives. Shriver, who has been leading Civil Service Strong since January, formerly served as the Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal government’s workforce agency, where he led a transformation of OPM, which had been targeted for elimination during the first Trump administration. “When we invest in the people who dedicate their lives to serving others, we strengthen the rule of law, restore trust in our institutions, and keep government working for everyone—no matter who sits in power. These fellows will help ensure that promise endures.” 

As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of American democracy, Democracy Forward is advancing a vision of government rooted in service, integrity, and accountability. Through the Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellowship and the broader Democracy Works 250 initiative, the organization is helping ensure that the federal government remains capable, professional, and responsive to the people it serves—today and in the years to come.

The Democracy Works 250 initiative will be led by Kyleigh Russ, who has served as Democracy Forward’s Director of Good Government Initiatives and Senior Advisor of Policy and Program since January 21, 2025. 

The first cohort of Civil Service Defense and Innovation Fellows includes:

  • Caroline Chang, former Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Education
  • Mary Comans, former Chief Financial Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • Daniel Delgado, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • Daniel Goetzel, former Program Director, National Science Foundation
  • Karen Hacker, former Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • David Marsh, former Chief of Staff, Office of Personnel Management
  • Mark Mittelhauser, former Associate Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor
  • Heather Moss, former Civil Rights Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice 
  • Nicole Nedd, former National Program Director, Workforce Management and Consulting, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • John Pierce, former Senior Advisor, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Treasury
  • Angelica Quirarte, former Senior Advisor for Service Delivery and Talent Strategy at the Office of Management and Budget
  • John Rapp, former Budget Director, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Viccy Salazar, former Senior Advisor, Climate Adaptation, Resilience, Equity, and National Program Implementation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Catharine Young, former Assistant Director of Cancer Moonshot Policy and International Engagement, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Civil Service Strong is also bringing additional former federal public servants on to the team to help in developing Democracy Works 250: Ariana Berengaut, former Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor, National Security Council; Josh Jacobs, former Under Secretary for Benefits, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Nathaniel Kaine, former Chief of Staff, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Melanie Muenzer, former Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education; and Julie Siegel, former Deputy Federal Chief Operating Officer, Office of Management and Budget.

Their bios can be found here.

Learn more about Democracy Works 250 here.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.