The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris means that jobs for political appointees will open up throughout the federal government, including positions that significantly impact historic preservation efforts across the county. The preservation community needs to champion candidates for these positions who have cultural heritage expertise.
President-elect Biden has selected a transition team and has begun accepting online resume submissions for people interested in appointed government positions. We urge the preservation community to research open positions and submit resumes of informed and capable people to fill them, with the goal of getting well-qualified people with strong cultural resources expertise into the federal government.
Our advice:
- Submit your resume to the transition team here: https://buildbackbetter.com/join-us/ You can also sign up for Biden-Harris Transition Team email updates on this website.
- Look over the Biden-Harris Agency Review Team list here. These people will have an influential role in filling critical agency positions. If you know someone on the list, get in touch – offer to be helpful and propose good people to fill open positions.
- Ask your Members of Congress to put in a good word for you and/or applicants you support. This is a common practice and can make a real difference for an applicant to be seriously considered.
- Review the most recent Plum Book, from 2016, available here. Published by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Committee on Government Reform alternately after each Presidential election, the Plum Book lists over 7,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment, nationwide. The Plum Book can be downloaded in searchable pdf format. Certain key words will help locate the most relevant positions – tribe and tribal, culture and cultural, art and fine art, historic preservation, and so on.
- Keep in mind that the higher the position, the more experience required to apply. Make sure you are championing the right applicant for the right job.
- Certain agencies and bureaus would benefit greatly from hiring employees with strong backgrounds in cultural resources. Some examples:
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- Department of Interior
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Bureau of Land Management
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (The Chair position will be open soon, the Executive Director position is currently listed on USAJobs.)
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Department of Transportation
- State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Cultural Property Advisory Commission
- Commission of Fine Arts, American Battle Monuments Commission.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- National Endowment for the Arts
- National Endowment for the Humanities
We urge all preservation activists to get involved in the Biden-Harris transition. Please contact us if you have questions.