Overview
Penny Fleming retired from a 35-year career as a senior executive in the federal government. Upon receiving her MPA from The American University, where she focused on policy analysis and program evaluation, she was selected for the inaugural class of Presidential Management Fellows and proceeded to work in all three branches of government. She started in the Government Accountability Office evaluating Environmental Protection Agency programs and then worked in the Carter White House as career staff to the US Regulatory Council, which led the government’s regulatory reform efforts across all executive branch agencies. Penny then moved to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where she was a budget examiner for the Maritime Administration and Small Business Administration and then became Chief of the Branch that oversaw the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, Small Business Administration, and related agencies. While at OMB, at the age of 31 Penny was the youngest person selected for a career Senior Executive Service position, was recognized as one of the top 40 managers in the federal government, and served as a cluster group leader for the career development component of the Presidential Management Fellows program.
The remainder of Penny’s career was spent at the Administrative Office of the US Courts in the Federal Judiciary. In her capacity as Chief of the Financial Liaison and Analysis Office, she served as the Judiciary’s representative to congress on any issues involving financial matters affecting the courts and was the point of contact for executive branch agencies and external organizations whose programs and activities impacted the Judiciary. As part of her congressional responsibilities, Penny counseled Judiciary decision makers as they were making decisions about Judiciary operations and policies and developing positions on pending legislation. She also conducted briefings for Members of Congress and their staff, prepared witnesses for hearings, drafted legislation, and negotiated agreements on legislation under consideration by congress. As the Judiciary’s external point of contact, Penny worked with officials in a broad range of agencies and organizations including, for example, the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, Office of the Vice President, General Services Administration, Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Brookings Institute, National Academy of Public Administration, and National Academy of Sciences. She also briefed foreign judge delegations that were participating in Agency for International Development-sponsored programs to learn about how to set up a judicial system similar to that of the United States.