Earlier this year, the Bridge Alliance and the National Academy of Public Administration launched the Fellows for Democracy and Public Service Initiative to strengthen the country's civic foundations. This fellowship unites the Academy’s distinguished experts with the Bridge Alliance’s cross‑sector ecosystem to elevate distributed leadership throughout the democracy reform landscape. Instead of relying on traditional, top‑down models, the program builds leadership ecosystems—spaces where people share expertise, prioritize collaboration, and use public‑facing storytelling to renew trust in democratic institutions. Each fellow grounds their work in one of six core sectors essential to a thriving democratic republic.

Below is an interview with Vince Macone, a 32-year veteran of federal civil service and long-time activist in Washington’s philanthropic community. Vince served as Executive Director for Enterprise Services at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, he led a comprehensive shared services delivery program providing customers with world-class IT, acquisition, HR, and solutions. He also served as Principal Deputy Special Inspector General and COO for a federal law enforcement and independent audit agency at the U.S. Department of the Treasury that targets financial crimes and other fraud, waste, and abuse related to economic stabilization programs.