American Fellow Diane MacLaren, Program Evaluation

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000569

SIPDIS

For State ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP Laverne Johnson, Ray Harvey;
WHA/PDA Julie Greenblatt
MONTREAL, TORONTO, VANCOUVER FOR PAO
CALGARY FOR FIELD REP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OIIP SCUL OEXC CA
SUBJECT: American Fellow Diane MacLaren, Program Evaluation



1. Summary: Diane MacLaren, Senior Manager with the
Canadian Treasury Board Secretariat, participated in the new
American Fellow Exchange Program September 15-December 15,

2004. (The American Fellow Exchange Program was announced
at the Quebec Summit of the Americas in April, 2001). In a
debriefing with the Cultural Affairs Officer in Ottawa
February 17, Ms. MacLaren reported that she found her
internship with the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office
of Financial Performance both professionally and personally
rewarding, and she will share what she learned about
accountability and transparency in U.S. government with her
Canadian colleagues. The post thanks the Office of Private
Sector Programs, Partners of the Americas, and the
Department of the Treasury for their roles in providing Ms.
MacLaren, the first Canadian participation in the American
Fellow Program, a successful exchange experience. End
Summary.


2. In recruiting Canadian participants for the American
Fellow Program of exchange of civil servants, the post
worked with Canada's Public Service Commission Interchange
Office to identify outstanding managers involved in issues
of significance in the U.S.-Canada relationship, including
border security and counterterrorism cooperation. Nominee
Ms. MacLaren, a senior manager at the Treasury Board
Secretariat with responsibility for analysis and performance

SIPDIS
reporting on the Canadian government's public security and
anti-terrorism programs, proposed an exchange that would
enable her to observe and better understand the
accountability and performance reporting work of U.S.
counterparts. The post and Ms. MacLaren suggested
affiliation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or
the Office of Management and Budget's public security review
division. Although U.S. security restrictions prevented
affiliation with either of these two departments, Partners
of the Americas was able to arrange an internship for Ms.
MacLaren at the Department of the Treasury's Office of
Financial Performance.


3. Ms. MacLaren and her Department of the Treasury hosts
outlined three objectives for her three-month internship:
familiarizing herself with American performance measurement
techniques and policies; familiarizing herself with American
budget management methods, particularly with regard to
security-related programs; and assisting with the
development of the Department of the Treasury's performance
and accountability report (PAR). The exchange program more
than met the grantee's expectations and provided her with
first-hand insights into the U.S. budget and accountability
process.


4. Among the highlights of her visit, Ms. MacLaren noted
the opportunity to observe Office of Management and Budget
2006 budget hearings at the White House, discussions with
officials from several agencies on their respective
approaches to performance management (e.g. she was impressed
with the high OMB rating of State Department performance
measurement efforts),the opportunity to work with the
Department of the Treasury on their performance
accountability report, and her production of a highlights
report on the Treasury's budget submission, making it user-
friendly and accessible to readers. Through these
activities, Ms. MacLaren gained an appreciation for the
seriousness with which federal government agencies take
accountability reporting and for the innovative approaches
various agencies have taken to measure their performance.
As do many Canadian visitors to the U.S., Ms. MacLaren
gained an appreciation for the complexity of our system of
government and its capacity to respond to a wide array of
demands from various stakeholders. Her newly acquired
knowledge of the U.S. system and management approaches in
its executive branch will be of tremendous benefit in her
current work with the public security portfolio and in
potential future jobs involving Canada-U.S. cooperation.
While Ms. MacLaren was modest about her own contributions to
her host agency, the post trusts that her Canadian
perspectives and management contributions were helpful to
her Treasury colleagues.


5. Personally, Ms. MacLaren reported that she found her
Treasury colleagues and other interlocutors in federal
agencies warm, helpful, and open. She continues
communication with a number of colleagues she met in
Washington and plans a personal visit this spring.


6. Ms. MacLaren was quite pleased with the support provided
by Partners of the Americas, with the lodging provided her
in a convenient neighborhood of Washington, and with the
overall logistics of her exchange program.


7. The post thanks ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP, Partners of the
Americas, and the Department of the Treasury hosts for
creating a unique and relevant exchange program for Ms.
MacLaren.

Cellucci