The Presidential Management Fellows Program: Lessons learned during 27 years of program success

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program represents one of many examples of the Federal Government's ability to develop and implement long-term, wide-ranging human resources initiatives. Originally called the Presidential Management Intern Program, this program has been in existence for approximately 25 years with over 3500 alumni. Annually, PMF represents a major undertaking for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which closely coordinates with many other Federal agencies who assist in the assessment center portion of the selection process. PMF is intended to attract and select graduate-level students to the Federal Government. It uses a multiple-hurdle selection strategy that includes a nomination process, an accomplishment record, and an assessment center. The program is wide-reaching in that it addresses many aspects of the human resources management process including recruitment, selection, career development and training, and succession planning. This article presents a brief overview of the evolution of the PMF Program and its legislative history, a description of Program recruitment and branding efforts, the selection process, and career development initiatives associated with the PMF Program. The logistical and operational realities of such a wide-scale decentralized selection process are addressed with an emphasis on program successes, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities. Several recent efforts to assess program effectiveness are described.