The need to capture and transfer knowledge among agencies and from departing or retiring employees to remaining employees has put knowledge management at the forefront of agency agendas.

This journal's Forum articles bring together knowledge management experts from the public and private sectors and academia to deliver a wide spectrum of ideas on how knowledge management can have a profound impact on creating a more effective workplace. From how to create a knowledge management culture to who owns knowledge management in your agency, this Forum highlights a case study about how NASA created a knowledge-sharing environment after space shuttle disasters and offers ideas on how to use open-source tools to manage knowledge.

This issue also includes an interview with Jonah J. Czerwinski about the Veterans Affairs Center for Innovation, which identifies, prioritizes, funds, tests, and deploys the most promising solutions to VA's most important challenges. The VACI team taps the talent of individuals both inside and outside government to increase veterans' access to VA services, improve the quality of services delivered, enhance the performance of VA operations, and control the cost of delivering those services that veterans and their families receive.

The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals are fast approaching. They are presented annually by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence in the federal civil service. Among the awards is the Management Excellence Medal, which recognizes a federal employee for demonstrating superior leadership and management that exemplifies efficient, effective, and results-oriented government. The Public Manager spoke with finalists in this category to ask how their leadership style helped them champion changes at their organization.

The features in this issue highlight a wide range of topics, from cyber security and the limitations of applying private-sector models to federal operations to testing innovation in Superstorm Sandy recovery and shifting educational accountability from compliance to outcomes.

These are just the highlights of the fall issue. All articles will help leaders and managers work effectively and efficiently in their organizations. Let me know what you think, and if you have article ideas, email me at [email protected].

Paula Ketter

Editor, The Public Manager

[email protected]