Download Program-specific insights

Reflections on
the Evolution of ORD with NPDs
Joel D. Scheraga
National Program Director
Global Change Research and Mercury Research Programs
Office of Research and Development
January 24, 2006
Themes

Opportunities

Challenges

Program-specific insights
The New ORD Structure (Theory)
Decision Inputs
• Feedback from ORD scientists
Executive Council
Corporate Decisions:
What we do
and how we do it
• Feedback from Programs &
Regions
L/C Directors
How we do the work, Who
does the work, and What
we are accountable for
• Results of independent
evaluations (e.g., BOSC)
• OMB feedback (PART)
• Revised MYPs
• Administration priorities
NPDs
What research area-specific work
we do and when we do it
• Congressional mandates
• SAB, NAS, other external advice
The Result
Research contributions to EPA decisions &
outcomes that reflect an evolved program with
enhanced quality, relevance, performance, and
leadership
Opportunities
•
Focus on “right science”

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Program-wide objectives
Identification of best ways to achieve program goals
Identification of appropriate Lab/Center to conduct each
component (see “Challenges”)
Not a “bottom-up” process
Implications for evolution of MYPs
•
Unified teams with unified objectives across ORD
•
Improved planning and budgeting


Increased focus on true programmatic priorities
Enhanced focus on client needs from programs
Opportunities (cont.)
•
Flexibility when world changes (e.g., 2005 Clean
Air Mercury Rule)
•
Better coordination to represent programs, e.g.,

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•
BOSC
PART
Regions
Placement of NPDs in IOAA
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Faithful representation of ORD corporate interests
Opportunities to leverage all expertise
Challenges
•
Culture change

Appreciation and respect for roles and responsibilities
of different entities (theory vs. practice)

Appreciation of challenges faced by all programs
•
•
•
•
NPDs (representing programs)
Lab/Center Directors (representing needs of missionspecific laboratories)
Scientists
Better and regular communication


Between Lab/Center Directors and NPDs (individually
and collectively)
Between NPDs and scientists
Challenges (cont.)
•
Representation of NPD views within Executive
Council


•
“Gang of 8” and Management Team working together
to remedy
Contrast with Science Council
Imperative of getting work done

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Particularly when products/outcomes require inputs
from multiple Labs/Centers
Timeliness
Nature of products (implications for GPRA)
•
Programmatic needs to shift resources between
Labs/Centers
•
Unilateral changes by any one management entity
not appropriate (e.g., shifts of FTEs between
MYPs)
Challenges (cont.)
•
Interactions across programs
•
Workload for NPDs


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Ensuring adequate support (e.g., ORMA; OSP)
Ensuring responsiveness of ALDs/ACDs (given their
own workloads)
Implications for NPDs’ own research
Program-specific insights
•
NPD role critical when Congressionally-mandated
interagency coordination body exists

Example: US Climate Change Science Program

NPD is EPA’s Principal Representative to CCSP

Must represent EPA’s mission in CCSP

Must represent Administration and CCSP priorities in
EPA and ORD planning and budgeting processes

•
CCSP makes budget recommendations to OMB
•
Influences Agency’s passback
Must communicate CCSP priorities to, and coordinate
with, Program and Regional Offices
Program-specific insights
(cont.)
•
Communication of importance of cross-cutting,
multimedia environmental issues (e.g., climate
change) to EPA and ORD
•
Coordination with critical international processes

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State Department’s Bilateral Initiatives (Global)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Global)
UNEP (Mercury)