Overview of the PMF Program
President Carter established the Presidential Management
Fellows (PMF) Program in 1977 by Executive Order to attract to the Federal
Service outstanding individuals from a wide variety of graduate and academic
disciplines who are interested in and committed to a career in federal
government. PMFs receive an initial two-year full time excepted service
appointment, after which they are eligible for conversion to a permanent
Federal government position.
Additional information on the program including details on eligibility and the selection process are available on Office of Personnel Management’s website, http://www.pmf.opm.gov/.
PMFs at CDC
Beginning in 1988, the PMF Program has played an integral
part in Agency staffing.To date, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have been successful in recruiting and
hiring over 145 very talented individuals who have brought diverse backgrounds
to our ranks. PMFs hold many positions
throughout CDC and ATSDR in differing program areas such as Reproductive
Health, Bioterrorism, Adolescent and School Health, Smoking and Health,
Environmental Health, Infectious Diseases, Injury Prevention, Occupational
Safety and Health, Global Health, and other interesting and challenging areas.
PMFs are also found in many of the staff offices including Financial
Management; Human Resources Management; Program, Policy and Evaluation; and the
Office of Communication. While the
majority of PMFs at CDC are located in Atlanta, we do have current and former
PMFs in other locations around the country including Maryland, Connecticut,
West Virginia, Washington, DC, and Colorado and around the world including Kenya. The CDC encourages career development for
PMFs and many PMFs have already achieved management positions within the CDC
and the Federal government.
CDC PMF Activities
There are a variety of both formal and informal opportunities in which CDC PMFs can participate. CDC PMFs are encouraged to take advantage of the training opportunities afforded through the auspices of the PMF program, CDC Corporate University, as well as professional conferences. PMFs meet monthly to share resources, experiences, and plan future events and are voluntarily active through three committees:
- The Professional Development Committee focuses on creating opportunities for PMFs to develop leadership skills and build their careers. A typical activity planned by the Professional Development Committee is a monthly brown bag lunch with an invited guest speaker.
- The Social Committee organizes events outside the office to promote networking and social support opportunities. For example, PMIs frequently meet up for lunch and at after-work get-togethers to share their experiences with fellow PMFs.
- The Improving PMF Committee helps new PMFs find their way at CDC during their initial months at CDC by organizing an agency-specific Orientation and continually work to improve the overall program and its stature within CDC.
In addition to participating in general PMF events, each class of PMIs has their own Career Development Group, which typically includes CDC PMFs and PMFs from other executive agency field locations throughout the southeastern United States. The importance of both structured and informal interactions is recognized as an integral component of the PMF experience, and CDC is continuing to develop and enhance such opportunities.
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