Acknowledgments

The editors wish to thank all those who found the time in their busy schedules to contribute to this volume. We are indeed grateful for their thoughtful consideration of our request for a collaborative view of public management roles. Not only did these colleagues dig deep into their professional experiences to reflect on the techniques and wisdom that were worth passing along to others, but they indulged our iterative exchanges to tease out even more nuggets from their rich careers in public service, research, and teaching.

We also wish to thank Myra Strauss and Lena Johnson of Management Concepts—Myra for approaching us with the initial idea for the book and for her openness and flexibility, and Lena for further help with editing and accommodating the full range of devilish organizational details that come with the territory. Looking back on this enterprise, a pivotal moment was when the authors asked Myra’s indulgence for allowing them to address the interrelatedness of contemporary public management challenges and solutions. And as Robert Frost once wrote, “That has made all the difference.”