UNITED STATES OFFICE OF
GOVERNMENT ETHICS



MEMORANDUM
TO: Agency Heads
FROM: David J. 

Acting Director and General Counsel
SUBJECT: The Role of Agency Leaders in Promoting an Ethical Culture

As a leader in the United States Government, the choices that you make and the work that
you do will have profound effects upon our nation and its citizens. It is essential to the success of
our republic that citizens can trust that your decisions and the decisions made by your agency are
motivated by the public good and not by personal interests.

You are ultimately responsible for the ethical culture within your organization. The
priorities that you set, the messages that you deliver, and the actions that you take demonstrate
your level of commitment to ethics in Government. Your personal conduct sets a powerful
example for the employees in your organization.

I am grateful to agency leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to ethical
service. At the same time, I am deeply concerned that the actions of some in Government
leadership have harmed perceptions about the importance of ethics and what conduct is, and is
not, permissible. I encourage you to consider taking action to re-double your commitment to
ethics in Government. Attached is a sample of actions that OGE has observed in Government
agencies, which you can take to strengthen the ethical culture in your agency.

The citizens we serve deserve to have con?dence in the integrity of their Government.
The public?s trust is not guaranteed. We must earn that trust every day, because the loss of that

trust is catastrophic. I want to personally thank you for your service and your work to earn and
secure the public?s trust.

Attachment

1201 NEW YORK AVE SUITE 500 -WASHINGTON DC '20005

Attachment to The Role of Agency Leaders in Promoting an Ethical Culture
Suggested Actions for Agency Leaders


Demonstrate personal ethical behavior by modeling a “Should I do it?” mentality
(versus a “Can I do it?” mentality)



Talk about the importance of ethics to your organization by including ethics themes
in speeches, communicating ethics priorities in memos, and recognizing the support
that ethics officials provide. For example:
o the Secretary of Defense recently stated his expectation that all employees
maintain high ethical standards1
o the Secretary of Agriculture recently announced new ethics training initiatives
and encouraged employees to participate2



Get to know your ethics program, and ensure that it is staffed by qualified personnel
and has sufficient resources



Include ethics officials in meetings of senior leaders



Recognize and praise honorable service by employees in your agency



Underscore the consequences to the organization and its mission of unethical
behavior



Promote a safe culture for reporting misconduct

 

                                                            
1
Memorandum from James N. Mattis, Sec’y of Def., U.S. Dep’t of Def., to Dep’t of Def. Employees (Aug. 4,
2017), http://ogc.osd.mil/defense_ethics/resource_library/2017%20ethics%20letter.pdf (URL updated Oct. 6, 2017)
2

Press Release, U.S. Dep’t of Agric., Perdue Unveils New USDA Ethics App for Executive Branch Employees
(Aug. 23, 2017), https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/08/23/perdue-unveils-new-usda-ethics-appexecutive-branch-employees.