“The data shows that threats against current and former public servants at every level of government — federal, state and local, affecting people of all different backgrounds — have really surged over the last decade, with very little scalable support for people who are at risk.” said Isabella Ulloia, founder and CEO of Public Service Alliance in an interview with Terry Gerton, former Executive Director of the National Academy of Public Administration.

In the interview, presented by the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton on September 16, Ulloia, cautions that this environment “deters the best and the brightest from serving, from running for office, from serving in government.”

“The threats,” she said, “that we are particularly focused on fall broadly into the categories of privacy and security, because given the way that social media operates, given the availability of our personal information such as our home addresses online, it’s very easy for folks to become a target, unfortunately.”

As a result, she councils that people in public service take “very proactive steps to scrub personal information off the internet using vetted online data privacy services.”

Her organization, she said, is “focused on empowering folks to be able to take these proactive, preventative steps that increase friction between themselves and folks who might want to do them harm.” It also focuses on crisis response support through access to legal counsel and experts in crisis communication.

“In addition to that, we provide access to a range of services that are designed to support peoples’ wellbeing broadly across their career development and across their personal wellness,” she said.

In a nation stunned by the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, six days before the interview aired, the reality of the threat to individuals who speak out publicly, whether in government or politics, has elevated fear levels that were already high. Given the hyper-charged partisan environment in which we live, it’s critical, she said, that her organization is clearly nonpartisan. “We believe that the safety of the people who have chosen to serve our communities across the country absolutely must transcend politics and partisanship. 

“We believe, that as Americans, we should be able to disagree without threatening peoples’ lives and livelihoods. And so, we serve anyone who meets our eligibility criteria, current or former government employee, any level of government, any branch of government, regardless of any political affiliation.”

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