What the Private Sector Can Learn From the Public Sector (Really)
Deni Elliott, Ethics Officer, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Carla Miller, Ethics Officer, City of Jacksonville, Florida
Kenneth Stewart, Vice President and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Edison International
Georgianna Streeter, Ethics Officer, Los Angeles World Airports

The public sector should be proficient at building and modeling ethical programs and cultures.  The intrinsic definition of providing public goods (national defense, public health programs, transportation, etc.) dictates an orientation to all members of the community, unlike a market-based distribution of goods and services.   Everyone receives the benefit of national defense, clear air, and paved streets, regardless of intent or ability to pay.
The public sector is obliged to create an ethical environment, not due to past violation of laws or demonstration of harm to persons but because of the democratic nature of its purpose.  Some of the ways government builds this culture are through its policies and regulations that are created to ensure access, equity, fairness, and transparency.  This panel will discuss different aspects of this intrinsic ethical mandate as they ultimately apply to private sector management practices.