The peaceful transfer of power occurred successfully at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, when President Joe Biden handed control of the federal government to President-elect Donald Trump. After an election cycle characterized by intense partisanship and distrust, how did officials manage this monumental task? Today on the final episode this season of “Transition Lab,” transition expert Heath Brown reflects on this question and discusses what we can learn for future transitions.

Heath Brown is an associate professor of public policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center. His most recent book, “Roadblocked: Joe Biden’s Rocky Road to the Presidency,” covers Joe Biden’s 2020 transition. He is also the author of numerous books and articles on American politics and the American presidency, as well as a contributor and cited expert in numerous publications, including The Atlantic, The Hill, and American Prospect.

‘Tis the season – and not just for the holidays! The 2024 transition is in full swing, so for this episode of Transition Lab, we invited our CEO and president Max Stier to join us for a discussion of President-elect Donald Trump’s (second!) presidential transition and how it stacks up against those of the last few administrations.

Max Stier has served as president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service since its creation in 2001. Under his leadership, the Partnership grew from a small startup to the only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to building a better government and a stronger democracy. Before partnering with Sam Heyman to create our organization, Max’s career highlights include time spent in all three branches of government, including on Capitol Hill, in the Supreme Court, and in the departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development.

Tune in to new episodes after the holidays!

Find a complete transcript of the episode here.

Assigning one job to two people can be a recipe for disaster. Yet, presidential candidates typically have two policy teams—one for the campaign operation and one for the transition operation. Campaigns already do policy work, so why does a transition need a policy team, too?

Today on “Transition Lab,” we’re joined by Lanhee Chen, the policy director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, to talk about the differences between these teams, why they’re both essential to a successful transition and how they should work together.

Chen previously served as a member of the Social Security Advisory Board during the Obama and Trump administrations and in the Department of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush presidency. He is a public policy fellow at the Hoover Institution, a director and lecturer at Stanford University's public policy program, and a partner and co-lead of the Brunswick Group’s US public affairs, policy and regulatory practice. He is also an on-air contributor for NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

Find a complete transcript of this episode here.