NGA Center for Best Practices

The NGA Center for Best Practices teams and divisions develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s Governors.

Latest

Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023

Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023

In today's digital world, cybersecurity is more important than ever. As our society relies increasingly on technology, we become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. It is important to implement strong cybersecurity ...
September Quarterly Infrastructure Coordinator Workshop

September Quarterly Infrastructure Coordinator Workshop

On September 12 to 14, 2023, National Governors Association hosted its fifth Quarterly Infrastructure Coordinator Workshop in Washington, D.C. This convening brought together Governors’ Infrastructure Coordinators and Advisors from over ...
Advancing Equity in the Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Sectors

Advancing Equity in the Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Sectors

On Wednesday, September 27th NGA hosted its third webinar in a four-part series highlighting innovative and replicable projects that are funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Travel, Tourism and ...
2023 Energy Cybersecurity Resources For Governors’ Advisors

2023 Energy Cybersecurity Resources For Governors’ Advisors

This resource guide provides an overview of federal and state cybersecurity standards for the energy sector as well as a collection of energy cybersecurity resources from NGA, the federal government, ...

Disagree Better

Americans need to disagree better. And by that we don’t mean that we need to be nicer to each other, although that’s helpful. We need to learn to disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.

The “exhausted majority” of Americans want this, and the science is clear about interventions that reduce polarization. As doers and builders, Governors are in a unique position to model what healthy conflict looks like.

Governor Spencer Cox’s Disagree Better NGA Chair’s initiative will look at the problems of polarization, elevate the solutions that groups around the country are already implementing, and feature Governors showing what disagreeing better looks like. Through public debates, service projects, public service announcements and a variety of other tactics, Americans will see a more positive and optimistic way of working through our problems.

Program Areas


Center for Best Practices Library

Governors Leading on Skills-Based Hiring to Open Opportunity Pathways

Governors Leading on Skills-Based Hiring to Open Opportunity Pathways

Skills-based hiring is a method of recruiting employees that prioritizes a candidate's competencies over more "traditional" qualifications like degrees. This ...
Maternal and Infant Health: Expanding Access and Quality of Care

Maternal and Infant Health: Expanding Access and Quality of Care

The third roundtable of the New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Initiative on maternal and infant health took place in ...
Infrastructure Coordinator Quarterly Workshop

Infrastructure Coordinator Quarterly Workshop

From May 16 to 18, 2023, NGA hosted its Quarterly Infrastructure Coordinator Workshop in Washington D.C. With $37 billion in ...
Green Banks: An Overview for Governors

Green Banks: An Overview for Governors

As Governors plan to meet their decarbonization, grid resilience and energy affordability policy objectives, innovative financing approaches like state green ...
How Governors Are Addressing Housing Access and Affordability and the Connection to Workforce Success

How Governors Are Addressing Housing Access and Affordability and the Connection to Workforce Success

Governors are increasingly confronting both workforce and housing shortages in a whole of government, complementary manner to not only ensure ...
Prioritizing Resilience: Best Practices on Energy Resilience for Healthcare Facilities

Prioritizing Resilience: Best Practices on Energy Resilience for Healthcare Facilities

This paper contains best practices to best position healthcare facilities when energy stressor events occur, prioritizing healthcare facility energy resilience ...
State Levers for Recovery: Alabama, ESSER Impact Showcase

State Levers for Recovery: Alabama, ESSER Impact Showcase

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) hosted the ESSER Impact Showcase in partnership with the National Governors Association ...
Youth Mental Health: Promoting access and affordability of quality treatment and care

Youth Mental Health: Promoting access and affordability of quality treatment and care

NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer hosted the third convening of the NGA Chair’s ...
State and Federal Actions to Respond to Xylazine

State and Federal Actions to Respond to Xylazine

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a non-opioid drug commonly used for veterinary purposes which has been showing up more ...
Youth Mental Health: Messaging for Success

Youth Mental Health: Messaging for Success

As part of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s 2022-2023 Chair’s Initiative on Strengthening Youth Mental Health, the National Governors Association ...
Youth Mental Health and Substance Use

Youth Mental Health and Substance Use

In a time when the drug supply is more lethal than ever, preventing substance use and mitigating risk among youth ...
Governors Lead the Way on Behavioral Health Workforce Needs

Governors Lead the Way on Behavioral Health Workforce Needs

New research from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing shows that 83% of the behavioral health workforce believes providers will ...

PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES