Who is Team FMA?
In 1993 FMA joined the Board of Directors for the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA). FEEA exists to make sure that federal and postal employees always have somewhere to turn. Whether it's to provide scholarships to federal employees or their children, or to give much-needed financial assistance when disaster strikes, FEEA has been - and continues to be - the benevolent backbone of our federal community.
For instance, look no farther than the FEEA World Trade Center/Pentagon Fund, which was established immediately following the harrowing events of September 11, 2001. Since that time, the Fund has received more than $5.5 million in donations to assist affected civilian federal employees and their families. Thanks to the generous corporate support of organizations like BlueCross BlueShield Association, Long Term Care Partners, and FEDS -- all of whom are part of TEAM FMA -- FEEA was able to write and disburse checks without delay to those families in need.
And who can ever forget the horrific bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Once again, FEEA - partnering with FMA members at Tinker AFB and other local agencies - was at the forefront in providing comfort and relief, including over $150,000 in immediate financial aid to Oklahoma federal families who needed help with funeral expenses, travel, and other needs related to the bombing. Naturally, FEEA promised to provide a college education to every child who lost a federal employee parent in the blast. Over 175 children meet the requirements of this fund and scholarship assistance will be provided over the next 20 years. More than 18,000 individual federal employees and their friends donated a total of $1.8 million.
Through FEEA, FMA has also built a burgeoning FMA/FEEA Scholarship Program (administered by FEEA exclusively for FMA), which serves to award academic scholarships to deserving candidates through generous contributions from FMA members.
Rarely do the good deeds of federal workers make the headlines. Nevertheless, the helping hand that you continue to give in order to assist those in need has paved the way for the growth and contributions of FEEA and the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) - which, in turn, has touched the lives of so many individuals.
FYI: The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund's CFC number is: 1-1-1-8-5.
You can learn more about how FEEA uses your contribution by visiting www.feea.org. For more information on the FMA-FEEA scholarship, please click here, or donate here.
Employee Thrift Advisory Council
In 2003, FMA National President Michael Styles was named Vice Chair of the Employee Thrift Advisory Council (ETAC) to continue FMA's strong role in ensuring the growth and success of the Thrift Saving Plan. ETAC, as it is known, is a 15-member body established by the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA) to advise the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) on matters related to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). These organizations represent federal and postal employees, both active and retired, at all levels of the U.S government.
We continue to work closely with the other 14 employee organizations represented on the Council in an effort to upgrade the investment opportunities for our members and all federal employees alike.
Government Managers Coalition (GMC)
The Government Managers Coalition (GMC) consists of the five major federal-sector executive and management professional associations: Federal Managers Association; FAA Managers Association; Professional Managers Association; National Council of Social Security Management Associations; and,
Senior Executives Association.
Collectively, we represent more than 250,000 of the federal government’s most dedicated executives and managers. The GMC advocates for policies and practices that reflect commonly-held beliefs within the federal executive and manager community, particularly in regards to the development and implementation of policies impacting good governance and the federal workforce.
Public Employees Roundtable
FMA played an integral role in promoting the important purpose of the Public Employees Roundtable (PER) when it was first established in 1982. PER's mission is to: help better inform citizens about the quality of people in government and the services they provide; promote excellence within government and esprit de corps among government employees; and encourage interest in public service careers. Today, PER is a national coalition of more than 32 management and professional organizations representing more than 3 million public employees and retirees.
Public Service Recognition Week, celebrated annually the first fall week in May, is set aside by Presidential declaration and PER, in partnership with the Interagency Council on Administrative Management, coordinates the activities. In Washington, DC, Public Service Recognition Week is a week-long celebration that begins with the "Breakfast of Champions," saluting our Public Service Excellence Award winners and concludes with a four-day event on the National Mall. Initiated in 1985, PER's prestigious Public Service Excellence Awards (PSEA) continue to recognize programs at all levels of government which show innovation, quality, and cost effectiveness. Unique among award programs, nominations for PER awards are made by peers and recognize groups of employees. Awards for public programs currently are offered in eight categories: federal, state, county, city, intergovernmental, international, community service, and public/private partnership. While the awards do not include a monetary prize, they do offer national recognition and exposure for worthwhile programs. More than one program that faced loss of funding was saved through the recognition provided by winning a PER award.
FMA is proud to be an original member of PER to celebrate the incredible work of the public service.
Other FMA Relationships
FMA continues to belong to the Federal/Postal Coalition, an alliance of 31 federal and postal employee groups that meets monthly to discuss initiatives affecting both communities.
FMA is also a member of the Coalition to Assure Retirement Equity (CARE), which focuses on issues of concern to federal retirees.
We also have strong relationships with:
- Federally Employed Women (FEW)
- National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)
- National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE)
- Partnership for Public Service
- The Government Innovators Network
- Young Government Leaders (YGL)