The Office of Personnel Management has formally relaunched
the Presidential Management Intern program as the
Presidential Management Fellows program, in compliance with
a November 2003 executive order expanding participation to
all executive branch agencies, making the program more
competitive by strengthening program standards and including
demonstrated leadership potential as a criterion for selection.
“With the federal work force reaching retirement age, the
government expects to face an exodus of many experienced and
talented individuals from its ranks, representing a
substantial loss to the agencies they serve,” said Deputy
Director Dan Blair.
OPM said the executive order also transfers the PMF
headquarters from Philadelphia to Washington D.C., and
allows for fellows to enter at the GS-9 through GS-12 levels
of pay, where before they could only enter at the GS-9
level. Also new is the Senior Presidential Management
Fellows program, a midlevel, national recruitment program
designed to help succession planning.
Over the past eight years, interest by applicants has
increased, with nominations from schools rising from
approximately 500 in 1995, to 3,000 in 2003, said OPM.
For information on the program, go to