What CRE can learn from GSA.

Overview

What if the largest workplace in the world became a testbed for agility, distributed work, and human-centered design? In this episode of The Flexible Office Economy, Mark Gilbreath welcomes Dan Tangherlini—former GSA Administrator under President Obama and current CFO of the Emerson Collective—for a candid conversation on the intersection of public space, policy, and the future of work.

From federal telework pilots to post-pandemic playbooks, Dan shares an insider’s view on how government real estate has been adapting (often faster than you think), and what private sector leaders can learn from it now. This isn’t theory—it’s a window into how the public sector thinks about space, risk, accountability, and resilience at scale.

They explore the long arc from cost center to strategic asset, and why the current moment demands collaboration, science-backed guidelines, and empathy above all else.

Episode Highlights

• Why the GSA embraced telework long before the pandemic forced the issue
• How federal space strategy parallels today’s corporate reckoning with footprint
• The real reasons most leaders avoid touching real estate—and why they shouldn’t
• “Safety theater” vs. real safety: how organizations are reacting under pressure
• Why the return-to-office debate is a false binary—and how to move beyond “home vs. office”
• What it takes to build trust and clarity for workers in a time of uncertainty
• The urgent need for national workplace safety guidelines—and what’s blocking them
• How Dan’s career across Treasury, Metro, and GSA prepared him for this exact moment
  
  Why Listen

Dan Tangherlini has run the largest workplace in the world—and advised on everything from stimulus spending to city transit. He understands the system, but he’s not afraid to call out its blind spots. If you're navigating distributed work, government contracts, or large-scale portfolio strategy, this episode offers perspective rooted in experience—and grounded in empathy.

It’s not about politics. It’s about public trust, shared spaces, and smarter choices for the people who use them.