forming committees

Staffing Your Transition Committees

An inclusive transition that engages the public requires dedicated transition staff who should start before or on Election Day. Identify a Transition Director as well as part-time staff to support policy committees. The Transition Director should (1) coordinate all transition-related activities, (2) manage all committees and committee staff, and (3) serve as a liaison between members of the public, those serving on committees and the incoming administration. Policy committee staff should support volunteer committee members by preparing agendas, facilitating meetings, capturing notes, and managing next steps between meetings. Transition staff should also be responsible for finalizing the transition report.

Having dedicated transition staff allows senior leaders in the incoming administration to focus on preparing to govern. The transition leverages the critical time between the election and inauguration to recruit a strong public workforce, engage the public and continue to build momentum.

Recruiting the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee has two main jobs: (1) serving as ambassadors to the incoming administration and (2) recruiting and recommending qualified candidates for government staff and commission roles. Steering Committee members who have a particular area of expertise or who would like a more active role in the transition can also be invited to join a policy committee.

A Steering Committee can bring insight, experience, and resources to the transition process. It is critical that the Steering Committee be diverse and representative. Members should be community leaders who bring professional and personal expertise to the role and represent a broad array of communities and constituencies.

Recruiting Policy Committees

A critical first step in the transition process is to decide which policy committees to form. The areas of focus should represent the top priorities of the incoming administration.

Once the committees are identified, the newly elected official and their team should select policy committee members. It is critical to have a diverse and representative coalition of individuals with subject-matter expertise serving on each policy committee.

After deciding which policy committees to form, collate the campaign’s major policy commitments under each policy area. Focusing on the policy commitments made during the campaign provides each committee with a clear sense of direction and scope.

For information about efficiently structuring the policy committee meetings, see the Committee Meetings section. See also the Producing a Transition Report section to see how this framework leads to concrete policy recommendations.