A Message from the CSG Executive Director/CEO
From its first meeting 90 years ago in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, The Council of State Governments has been a force for good. At its core, CSG is a community of the states.
The founders of CSG had a simple goal in mind when they created the organization: advancing harmony among the states. Their focus at the founding of CSG remains our focus today. We work as a nonpartisan organization to connect, inform, inspire and empower state officials to advance the common good.
We know we have stronger states and a stronger nation when state leaders learn from one another; when they have access to research-driven, actionable policy options; when best practices are identified and shared; and when the voice of the states is heard in Washington, D.C.
— David Adkins, CSG executive director/CEO
Throughout the past nine decades, CSG adapted and evolved to maintain its prominence and resiliency. Like most great endeavors, the success of CSG is fueled by leadership. Over the years, our organization has been led by hundreds of talented public servants at both the regional and national levels. Their guidance helps CSG pursue the policy priorities of the states, and their leadership — individually and collectively — makes CSG what it is today.
From its start, CSG has been sustained by the annual dues appropriated by the states. While CSG returns to the states six dollars of value for every dollar of state dues paid, we remain grateful stewards of the public funds entrusted to us.
One of the greatest strengths of CSG is its regional structure. While CSG has always been a national organization, over 75 years ago, CSG leaders began to see the need for regionally-based forums to focus on issues common to the states of each region. To underscore the importance of its regions, CSG allocates 60% of the dues received from each state to support the work of that state’s CSG region. I remain in awe of the many ways the regions have grown to meet the needs of state officials and helped CSG advance its mission.
Another factor that sets CSG apart is our belief that public policy challenges can be best understood and addressed when officials from all three branches of government work together. By bringing executive branch officials together with those in the judicial and legislative branches, CSG helps states achieve success.
This three-branch approach was top of mind 20 years ago when CSG created its Justice Center as a national program to assist state leaders in all three branches who are working to enhance public safety and improve justice systems. This initiative has grown to become a respected “go-to” resource for the states on criminal justice issues helping states improve outcomes and use resources wisely.
I know first-hand the impact CSG has on state officials. While I have the honor of serving as the ninth executive director and CEO of CSG, I’m the first to have served in a state legislature. During my 12-year tenure in both legislative chambers, I became a better public servant because of CSG. I benefited from CSG leadership development programs, its research resources such as The Book of the States and Shared State Legislation, and
from the insights and perspectives of other state leaders I met with through CSG. The challenges of running for and serving in public office are great, but I thought of CSG as a welcoming support system and as a family. I still cherish the friendships forged through CSG.
CSG has flourished and thrived with the help of many partners, sponsors and funders through the years. These investments help deepen our footprint, extend our reach and broaden our impact.
For nearly 250 years, America has been on a journey to fulfill the purpose of our Constitution to create a more perfect Union. For 90 of those years, CSG has championed excellence in state government, helping state officials put into action the best ideas from America’s laboratories of democracy. While we can be proud of all that CSG has achieved, I remain convinced the best days for CSG are yet to be. For the full promise of that future to be realized, we must continue to strive mightily to create a more perfect Union, ensuring that government of the people, by the people and for the people will endure. I look forward to sharing that journey with you.
Happy 90th birthday, CSG, and many more!
Sincerely,
David Adkins