Call to Serve Speakers Bureau

The Call to Serve Speakers Bureau is an engaging way to bring exciting government work to life for students and jobseekers! OurSpeakers Bureau members range from physicists to lawyers to human resources professionals and are all equipped to educate audiences about the federal workforce and inspire a new generation to serve.

Speakers Bureau members visit college campuses and other student venues, both onsite and virtually, to promote public service and to deliver resources that will raise awareness of federal career opportunities amongst students of all ages. Speakers Bureau events range in size and style to meet the needs of the host venue while uniformly providing an experience that demonstrates the profound impact one can make in federal service.

The Partnership covers all of the costs associated with sending a Speakers Bureau member to a campus, including airfare, hotel accommodations and a per diem food allowance, as well as funding for additional travel expenses associated with a trip.

• Colleges and Universities
  Learn more about hosting a speaker on your campus!
• Federal Employees
  Interested in becoming a speaker?
  

Colleges and Universities

Help inspire our nation’s future leaders through the Call to Serve Speakers Bureau and bring a dynamic federal employee to your campus, either in person or virtually, at no cost to your college or university. Speakers are available in a broad range of career fields and represent diverse agency missions as they share their particular career path and motivation for working in the federal government. Speakers Bureau events range in size and style to meet the needs of the host venue while uniformly providing an experience that demonstrates the profound impact one can make in federal service.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama stressed the need to enhance education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, referred to as STEMM. These fields are important for helping our government fulfill its critical missions and for fostering America’s global competitiveness. The Partnership is currently focusing on promoting mission-critical STEMM positions in the federal government. Given this priority, special consideration will be given to colleges and universities with an interest in engaging students in STEMM fields. We encourage you to explore ways to incorporate these mission critical areas into your application for the fall semester.

Before you apply online, carefully review the request guidelines to determine whether or not your campus is eligible to apply, as well as which type of event, onsite or virtual, will be most appropriate for your school. Due to the considerable number of requests that we receive and the work schedules of our speakers, we cannot guarantee that your campus will be matched with a federal employee. It is important to note that whereas campus visits can sometimes be more difficult to match, we are almost always able to match speakers with schools for videoconferences and webinars.

In addition to meeting the request guidelines found below, we expect Speakers Bureau host campuses to be creative and enthusiastic when marketing and organizing activities, to engage both students and faculty members, to distribute Partnership resources, and to submit evaluations from students and campus coordinators alike after a Speakers Bureau member presents to them.

Request Guidelines

• Your college or university must be a member of the Call to Serve network at the time of your request in order to be eligible to host a speaker. Sign up today!
• Schools may only host one Speakers Bureau member per academic year. Applications will be available in late May for the fall 2013 semester.
• Given the time and expense required to organize a Speakers Bureau event, any campus or organization that hopes to host a speaker in-person must commit to planning a full day of activities for a federal employee so that she or he will interact with a minimum of 75 students; the speaker must also meet with career services staff. Please view our sample schedules to determine whether or not hosting a speaker on campus is the right option for your school.
• For webinars or videoconferences, schools must commit to connecting the speaker with a minimum of 25 students.
• If you are concerned about meeting any of these requirements, please email speakersbureau@ourpublicservice.org
• You can preview the application if you would like to prepare your responses prior to submission.

Apply to host a Speakers Bureau member this fall!

The Speakers Bureau application for fall 2013 will be available in late May.

Federal Employees

The Speakers Bureau offers government employees a unique opportunity to share their federal story with students and jobseekers across the country, forge connections with these individuals, and encourage them to pursue public service careers. Speakers engage in government-wide networking sessions, strengthen their public speaking skills and deepen their knowledge of the federal space.

Speaker Expectations

Speakers Bureau members share their experiences in government with talented students on college and university campuses, either onsite or virtually, at least once per year. Additionally, speakers commit to attending a program orientation, reading monthly updates and participating in relevant professional development activities coordinated by the Partnership with other members of the Speakers Bureau.

Who Should Apply

Through the Partnership's research report, “Making the Difference,” we found that students respond most favorably to federal employees with whom they can relate. The majority of Speakers Bureau members have between three and 10 years of experience in government and come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, locations and skill sets. To best align speakers with requests from campuses, we are currently recruiting enthusiastic federal employees who are committed to government service.

Federal employees from all agencies and subcomponents are eligible for the Speakers Bureau. We specifically encourage federal employees working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and environmental jobs to apply to encourage students studying in these fields to consider public service and assist the Partnership in meeting the needs of our federal workforce.

Applicants must have worked in government for a minimum of two years and should have previous public speaking experience. Though all applicants will be considered, priority will be given to candidates who meet these criteria.

When to Apply

Speakers Bureau applications are accepted and reviewed annually with the application opening in late May.

 

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