𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣’𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩.Theodore Roosevelt, “The Present Status of Civil Service Reform,” The Atlantic, Feb. 1895.While this quote might not pass muster with the Plain Writing Act of 2010, its meaning is clear—and its message remains relevant more than 100 years later. Along with his beliefs that opportunities should be made equal for all citizens and Federal job appointments should be based on merit, Roosevelt was adamant that neither public servants nor the public they serve should suffer for their (respective) political beliefs.Coming of age at a time when high school government and civics classes were filled with John F. Kennedy’s famous call to service and explorations of the idea of American exceptionalism, I was drawn to the Peace Corps after graduating from college; to law school after that; and, ultimately, to a career in the Federal civil service.What I’ve come to understand through public service at home and abroad is how critical many of the principles Roosevelt espoused are to ensuring the health and well-being of our citizens—along with the Federal government institutions and workforces that support them. Fundamentally, these principles allow us to work together to fulfill America’s promise to her people.How fitting, then, to now be privileged to serve at the Merit Systems Protection Board, whose mission it is to protect the Merit System Principles and promote an effective Federal workplace free of Prohibited Personnel Practices. I am determined to work every day—with dedicated colleagues and on behalf of the public we serve—towards the ideals set forth by Roosevelt and JFK that remain resoundingly relevant in today’s world.