James Alfano is the CEO and co-founder of Govlaunch, the wiki for local government innovation. James has an extensive background working with local governments. Prior to Govlaunch, James co-founded EfficientGov, a local government-focused media company which was acquired by Praetorian Digital in 2014. Before that, he spent six years at the Washington D.C.-based consulting firm Marlowe & Company helping cities and counties navigate federal regulatory issues and secure grant funding. James is a native Washingtonian and a graduate from Dartmouth College.

Darin Atteberry is the City Manager for the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, a position he has held since December 2004.
As City Manager, Darin has led the City government through a time of transformational change, moving the organization from a "trust us" model to one that uses a data-driven, performance-based approach. Darin is an advocate for community collaboration and has built strong relationships with both public and private sector partners. He has been a member of the Center for Public Safety Excellence Board of Directors since 2015. In 2013, Darin was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Colorado State University College of Business. In 2016 he was elected as a Fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration. Recently, Darin received the Colorado Governor’s Citizenship medal, recognizing him as a leader who serves the public with innovation, operational excellence, and progressive vision.
Prior to coming to Fort Collins, Darin worked with cities in California, Washington, and Georgia. He attended Harvard University’s Senior Executive Program in State and Local Government. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of City Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University.

Mark Barham is the Director of Information Technology for the City of Williamsburg Virginia, and has served in this capacity for 20 years. He is responsible for all data, voice and video networks and systems, both hardware and software, for the City of Williamsburg. He has been directly involved in Information Technology for over 25 years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and is a graduate of the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program (CGCIO).

Lomax has 18 years of experience in small business entrepreneurship, higher education, and government administration. His expertise encompasses management, organizational culture change, ethnic psychology, urban entrepreneurship, and inclusive workforce and economic development. As Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building, he is tasked with serving a diverse residential and small business clientele to foster equitable economic growth and create opportunities that make Rochester’s economic recovery more inclusive.
Beyond his role with the City, Lomax is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Niche Market Insights Foundation, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Black-Owned Business (BOB) Rochester, and serves on the boards for several public organizations. These include Greater Rochester Black Business Alliance, Inc. (Co-Founder and former Board President), Greater Rochester Quality Council, Eta Rho Lambda Chapter Education Foundation, Inc., and Gamma Iota Boule Foundation, Inc. (Economic Development Committee Chair).
Lomax received a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Media Marketing with a concentration in Chinese Language (Mandarin) and Culture, as well as an Executive Masters of Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology Saunders College of Business. He earned a Doctor of Management degree from University of Maryland Global Campus (Dissertation Title: “The strategic importance of cultural fit between organizations and niche markets in 21st century nations: A systematic review of cultural congruence” © 2019). He also holds a Certificate of Completion in Leading Economic Growth from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.

Joel has held executive leadership positions with some of the most innovative organizations in the world, including XPRIZE, SecondMuse, Activision, and Disney Imagineering. He has spent his career driving innovation at every level — from developing products, to managing teams, leading organizations, and ultimately impacting entire systems.
He is currently the CEO of Alliance for Innovation (AFI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming local government strategy, operations, culture, and ecosystems.

Barbara Cohn is the Chief Data Officer at the Colorado Department of Transportation. A leader in Open Data, one of CDO Magazine's Global Data Power Women, and an expert in public policy, Barbara has held multiple leadership roles in state and local government. Barbara operates at the intersection of business, data, policy, technology, and people - challenging entrenched thinking, inspiring new interpretations and innovative solutions.
Barbara previously served as New York State’s first Chief Data Officer. In 2016, Barbara was recognized as one of Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, & Drivers. She has an extensive background in advancing the utilization of data as a strategic asset with the objective of turning raw data into actionable knowledge; fostering creative and cooperative problem solving; developing robust analytical capabilities to maximize business insight; establishing governance policies and standards; and facilitating data interoperability. As New York State CDO, Barbara was the chief architect of New York State’s acclaimed open data portal, Open NY, and principal drafter of the NYS Open Data Handbook and the NYS Dataset Submission Guide.

Jessica Cole is the COO and cofounder of U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit that places experienced, pro-bono technologists to work with government and community-based organizations so that they can quickly deliver critical services and infrastructure to the public. Since its inception in March 2020, USDR has served more than 40 million Americans through projects with more than 200 partners across 36 states and territories. Jessica formerly served as Head of Innovation for the City of Walnut Creek, CA and as a Fellow at Code for America and The Aspen Institute's Tech Policy Hub.

Francisco Contreras, AICP, is the Innovation Manager for the City of West Hollywood, CA, where he leads an enterprise-wide civic innovation program, focusing on government ideation, civic technology, and intelligent infrastructure. His team implements the West Hollywood Smart City Strategic Plan ("WeHo Smart City") that prepares the city to incorporate breakthrough technologies to improve service delivery and enhance the community's quality of life, work, and play. His city planning experience has equipped him with a humanistic approach to civic innovation - a vital mindset as cities become living laboratories for emerging technology. Francisco earned a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Stanford University and dual master's degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning from UCLA.

Jeff has 10 years of experience in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions advisory in the software and enterprise technology industries.
Prior to joining Shea & Company, Jeff co-founded Falvey Partners. Formerly, he was part of Morgan Keegan’s technology investment banking group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions advisory and capital raising for a wide range of technology companies. Jeff started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Transaction Advisory practice.
Jeff graduated from Boston College and is a Certified Public Accountant and CFA charterholder.

Jack Davis is General Counsel and VP/Corporate Development at Quantworks, Inc. a technology development and investment firm based in Carrboro, NC, in which capacity, he serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of Lex Loci Labs. Jack works extensively with, and serves on the Boards of several of, the company's portfolio investments. He has 25 years of experience in fundraising, corporate development and advisory work, primarily in real estate and growth technology companies. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC with his three children and received both his BA and Law Degree from Duke University.

Kristina Francis is the Executive Director of Jobs For the Future Labs. In this role she oversees advisory, acceleration, data, and investing initiatives that connect traditional systems with systems disruptors to enable equitable economic mobility.
Kristina brings over 20 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience focused on management consulting, business development, software and data integration, and impact investing competencies. Prior to joining Jobs for the Future, Kristina served in a variety of roles of escalating authority with EsteemLogic, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, General Dynamics, and American Institutes for Research. In these roles, Kristina managed business portfolios between $10-80M and was charged with driving growth, developing strong delivery teams, implementing innovative and collaborative systems, and activating cross-sector partnerships.
Kristina’s passion for education, empowerment, and wealth building. Kristina wants to make sure that all people, especially women, have pathways to education and reliable pathways to solid jobs that lead to careers and economic advancement. For some adults this may mean learning new skills at community college, obtaining a 4 year degree online, positioning for promotion with an employer, or pursuing entrepreneurship as a career.
Kristina received her BA from Georgetown University in Psychology and MS from George Washington University in Information Systems Management. Kristina enjoys watching “This is Us” with her husband (Elliott) and raising her children Nyla and Evan to fully operate in their genius! She also enjoys time with her 5 year-old Newfoundland, Onyx.

Niles Friedman is a founding Executive Advisor with Star Insights, a strategic advisory firm working with social impact organizations and leaders. Niles has built an adaptable approach to strategically collaborate across sectors and industries through his work with start-up founders, c-suite executives, public-sector administrators, and nonprofit leaders. Over the last ten years Niles has built innovation offices and functions, created technology strategic planning programs, and instilled sustainable culture change across the U.S. federal government, State of California, Los Angeles County, and international ministries.

Catherine is the CEO and a Co-Founder of CityGrows. She's dedicated to supporting local governments and helping them improve outcomes for their residents and staff members. She is a former VP of the City of Los Angeles Innovation and Performance Commission and co-founder of LA's Code for America Brigade Hack for LA. She's based in Los Angeles.

Ben Gordon oversees business development and new projects for CitizenLab in the US. In this role, he helps American cities, counties, and community orgs think through their engagement strategies and build out their own online participation platforms. Prior to CitizenLab, Ben led business development for the placemaking and public art startup Shared_Studios, best known for running Portals, a global network of immersive spaces built out of gold shipping containers. Ben is passionate about civic technology and improving how Americans interact (and feel about) their local, state, and federal governments. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Frederik is a Partner at Storm Ventures and a co-founder at BLCK VC. After finishing school, Frederik spent two years as CEO of Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE) with more than one hundred employees and total assets exceeding $18 million – including overseeing Stanford’s accelerator program. Frederik is also a mentor with the East Bay College Fund which works with minority college students coming from underprivileged communities throughout the east bay.

Dustin Haisler is the Chief Innovation Officer for e.Republic. As Chief Innovation Officer, he has a strategic role to help shape the company’s products, services, and future direction. Primarily, he leads e.Republic Labs, a market connector created as an ecosystem to educate, accelerate, and ultimately scale technology innovation within the public sector. Dustin began he career at a very young age as the finance director and later CIO for Manor, TX, a small city outside Austin. He quickly built a track record and national reputation as an early innovator in civic tech, for which he was named a Government Technology Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver in 2009. A member of Code for America’s original steering committee, Dustin pioneered government use of commercial technologies not before used in the public sector – including Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. Dustin went on to the private sector to help broaden the adoption of these and other civic innovations. His work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc., and the Today Show on NBC. An in-demand speaker, he has given two TEDx speeches – one on Disrupting Government (TEDxAustin) and the other on Disrupting Education (TEDxLivermore).

Alex Hanns has worked on Governor JB Pritzker's communications team for the past four years, currently in the administration as deputy press secretary and previously on his gubernatorial campaign. During the pandemic, he's been responsible for managing the state's pandemic response public relations initiative ‘All In Illinois,’ which has included three statewide marketing campaigns on mask wearing, holiday safety and vaccine confidence. Hanns previously worked for two members of the Illinois General Assembly and as a freelance digital strategist. He graduated from DePaul University with a B.A. in public relations and advertising.

Elle has spent her career making it easier for the public and private sectors to work together to solve problems. Prior to co-founding The Atlas, Elle served as the Director of Strategy & Partnership at re:focus partners, where she managed a $3 million grant program. She also served as Special Assistant and Communications Director in the U.S. EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs, where she managed an initiative that facilitated city-to-city learning on urban innovation, designed a program that supported environmental entrepreneurship, and developed a strategy that educated stakeholders about EPA’s international success stories. Elle is a USMC spouse, dog-mom to Hugo and Charlie and lover of flat water.

Thao Hill is ProcureNow's Chief Customer Officer. In addition to his 3 years of leading ProcureNow from one customer to market leader, he has over 20 years of domain experience as the former CTO of Public Systems Associates (1999-2005), Head of Products, Operations, and Sales at Granicus (2005-2015), and Major Account Executive for Cedexis (2015-2018, acquired by Citrix). He also serves as advisor to Citibot, a government technology startup that empowers citizen engagement through accessible chat communications. Thao is driven by his passion for improving government through technology and by his strong commitment to over-the-top customer service and employee advocacy.

Frederick Hutson is the CEO and co-founder of Pigeonly, a platform that makes it easy for people to search, find and communicate with an incarcerated loved one. A born entrepreneur, he launched and sold his first business at the age of 19 while on active duty in the Air Force.
Through his entrepreneurial spirit often led him to new opportunities, his desire to attain the American Dream on his terms took him down the wrong path. At 23, he was sent to federal prison for the illegal distribution of 3,000 kg of marijuana. It was this life-changing experience that motivated him to build a solution that would positively impact the lives of people no one else was paying attention to – inmates and their families. The idea of Pigeonly was born.
Launched in 2012, Pigeonly makes it possible for subscribers to easily send printed photos, letters, greeting cards, postcards, and even online articles from any cell phone, tablet or computer within a few clicks. One of Pigeonly’s most successful products is a low-cost VoIP phone solution, similar to Google Voice, for notoriously expensive prison phone calls. This product alone helps families save over $2MM/year in predatory phone fees per year.
Under Frederick’s leadership, Pigeonly has become one of the largest independent inmate services providers in the country. With subscribers in 88 countries and growing, Pigeonly reduces recidivism by keeping families connected while helping them save millions in predatory fees every year.

Tai Huynh was born in Clearwater, Florida to two Vietnamese refugees. Tai attended UNC Chapel-Hill as a first-generation college student and Morehead-Cain Scholar. He graduated Class of 2020 with a degree in Computer Science with minors in Business Administration and Anthropology. He currently serves on the Chapel Hill Town Council. He is the first Vietnamese-American elected to public office in North Carolina. Tai is also Co-Founder & CEO of Acta Solutions, a GovTech venture that powers responsive government. We automate customer service communications for local governments so that they can better serve residents.

Anthony has over 10 years of working with and for state and local governments on technology concerns. He has served as director of business development for the National Association of Counties. He has developed and served as lead for NACo Smarter Counties Summits and CIO Forums. He is a battle-tested serial entrepreneur.
In his spare time, Anthony enjoys running, grilling and supporting NYC sports teams. He also enjoys international travel and is a well below average golfer.

John Katt is the Director of Technology, Development, & Data at the Office of the Public Advocate in New York City. John is an experienced technologist, specializing in projects spanning software/hardware and information technology infrastructure. As the Director of Technology, Development & Data, John Katt oversees the technology operations at the Office of the Public Advocate. John believes in the power of working alongside those facing today's problems and empowering them to innovate powerful and meaningful solutions. The power of building solutions with, and not for stakeholders has given John the opportunity to create impactful and real solutions.

ShaKeia Kegler is a Navy Veteran, supplier diversity advocate and the founder and CEO of GovLia. GovLia is a business to government marketplace designed to make government contracting simple, equitable and more inclusive for minority and women owned businesses. Shakeia is passionate about creating opportunities for individuals and business owners to grow, overcome economic hardships, and surpass barriers to success in every aspect of life.

Sarah is a nonprofit management and partnerships professional passionate about helping government most effectively serve its citizens. For the past 8 years, she's worked for organizations with a range of missions from ending world hunger to improving government data and transparency. As a Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Sarah is excited to help governments innovate while spurring economic growth in the technology sector. Sarah lives in Washington, DC, is originally from Rochester, NY (go Bills!), and received a bachelors degree from Wheaton College (IL).

Rochelle Keyhan is the CEO and driving force behind Collective Liberty. Formerly the Director of Disruption Strategies at Polaris, a department she designed to disrupt human trafficking in the United States, Keyhan has long been dedicated to fighting for justice. Before Polaris, she spent six years as a prosecutor of gender-based violent crimes in Philadelphia, where she is bar certified to practice law. Keyhan has also served as director of non-profits Feminist Public Works and HollabackPHILLY, of which she is a founding board member. As an Assistant District Attorney, Keyhan championed the need for increased investigation and prosecution of human traffickers in Philadelphia, where she successfully prosecuted the first two trials herself. As a first generation Iranian-American, she also speaks conversational Farsi.
Throughout her career, Keyhan has been well recognized for her mission-driven work: winner of the 2018 Thomson Reuters Stop Slavery Hero Award, IAFCI Cyber Crime Investigator of the Year, MassChallenge Diamond Award Winner, 2019 Innovate4Good challenge winner, NGEN Leader of the Year finalist, and 2019 Women’s Media Center Fellow.

Julie is a co-founder and Managing Partner of the Urban Innovation Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in the future of cities. The fund provides seed capital and regulatory support to entrepreneurs solving our toughest urban challenges – helping them grow into tomorrow’s most valued companies.
Previously, she co-founded Tumml, a startup hub for urban tech. The organization has provided 38 startups with seed funding and mentorship, and hosts thought leadership events around urban innovation. In 2016, Living Cities named her as one of its "25 Disruptive Leaders." Julie's work energizing urban-focused entrepreneurship has been featured in numerous press outlets, including CNN and The San Francisco Chronicle, among others. She serves on the Boards of Tumml and Empower Work. Julie earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and BA from Stanford.

Kevin Limehouse is a Project Officer for Charleston County government. Kevin works directly with staff to improve the services the County provides to its citizens, researches and develops efficient internal processes, and cultivates relationships with external partners by developing innovative projects and initiatives that result in community improvements. Some of his current projects include: planning and preparing for connected and autonomous vehicles, developing smart city improvements, smart green infrastructure, electric vehicles, renewable energy improvements, hosting the PGA’s return in 2021, and various events and programs with NASA.
Kevin is especially proud of the partnerships that led to the creation of the Center of Resilience Excellence South Carolina (CORE SC), a NASA inspired center serving the State of South Carolina focusing on creating resilience solutions. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Kevin attended the College of Charleston and graduated with a degree in Political Science.

Rob Lloyd is CIO for the City of San José, California, directing the diverse civic technology portfolio for the nation’s tenth largest municipality. The City organization consists of 7,000 employees and carries a $4.7 billion total budget, all serving over one million residents in the heart of Silicon Valley. The City’s quest: To be as innovative as the community we serve.
Over two decades, Rob has held C-level roles in the technology, government, and utilities sectors in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado. His teams have earned over 25 national awards for customer engagement, attaining operational excellence through technology, and for innovative programs.

As Chief Impact Officer, Nick brings a range of expertise in media, narrative, and visual communications strategy and tactics along with a familiarity with both local government and civic technology communities. He loves to leverage technology to help governments make the largest impacts with their communities.
Nick has also worked as a nonprofit communications consultant for state-based advocacy campaigns. Before that, he helped build out digital communications at the National Association of Counties (NACo), elevating NACo's overall brand and position as a thought-leader in the local government space.
Nick is a part-time independent filmmaker. His most recent work is False Alarm (www.falsealarmfilm.com). Nick also reads way too much science fiction and joins any rec sports he can drag his friends into.

Rema Matevosyan is a co-founder and the CEO of Near Space Labs. She was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for her accomplishments building a disruptive geospatial company. Prior to Near Space Labs, Rema worked as a researcher in Systems Engineering for Complex Aerospace Systems, informing the decisions of the European Commission regarding the Copernicus satellite network. She is a recognized scholar and Emerging Space Leader by the International Astronautical Federation, a published researcher in the top journals of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and others.

As the CIO for the largest City in Kansas, Mike is accountable for all Information Technology and Innovation serving 17 City departments in over 90 locations. Mike has oversight of the full suite of technology and innovation services; security, policy, process, digital transformation, Smart City, network, development, data services and budget management across the enterprise. In his tenure, Mike has implemented What Works Cities, Open Data, Smart City, a first of its kind IoT Network, ERP implementation, and numerous P3’s executed for business value attainment without increasing staff. Increased online transactions from 2 million to almost 50 million dollars annually. Always focused on business process change and the citizen experience, placing technology for impact and outcomes, where it is needed. Partnered with Comcast on the first municipal deployment of LoRa infrastructure for IoT use.
Mike has a Bachelor of Arts in graphic design a Bachelor of Business Administration in MIS and a MBA from Wichita State University. He teaches for the school of business at WSU in MIS and is the outside technology director for the Board of AgVantis, Inc., a technology service provider for the financial sector. Mike also is active on numerous boards; Board Chair for Mennonite Housing, appointed – FirstNet representative for South Central Kansas, and appointed by the Governor to the Information Technology Executive Council (ITEC) for the State of Kansas.

Stuart McKee, COO of Hayden AI and key member of the executive team is responsible for developing and implementing strategies, procedures, and business plans to drive company growth. Stuart was previously U.S. National Technology Officer for Microsoft engaging with governments across the country and around the world developing effective technology policy and strategy. Prior to Microsoft Stuart served as the CIO for Washington State - the original ‘Digital State’.

Jay Nath is the Co-CEO of City Innovate, a San Francisco based organization that helps government address challenges through emerging technologies. Nath became San Francisco’s first Chief Innovation Officer where he served for more than a decade. Prior to public service, Nath was VP of Product for SquareTrade (acquired by Allstate) and was a senior consultant at PwC.

Kate Nicholson is Director of Partnerships at BetaNYC. She has a MFA in Design for Social Innovation from School of Visual Arts and a BA in Economics from Tufts University where she also minored in Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies. A native New Yorker and an avid traveler, Kate identifies as both a global and local citizen. When she’s not spending her time with great people doing what she loves at the office, she is engaged in the civic tech and social innovation scenes in NYC.

Chris Offensend is Co-founder & CEO of Qwally, a software platform that helps local governments provide scalable and effective support for small businesses in their communities. Chris is passionate about building relationships across stakeholder groups and using technology to solve social, business, and engineering challenges. In previous roles, he led teams to create web applications that communicate complex ideas to users through simple visual and interactive experiences

Lindsey Parker was nominated by Mayor Muriel Bowser to be the Chief Technology Officer in January 2019 and was unanimously confirmed by the DC Council on March 5, 2019. Lindsey previously served as Mayor Bowser’s Deputy Chief of Staff. As the District’s Chief Technology Officer, Lindsey will work to enable DC Government agencies to securely leverage technology to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of Washington, DC.
Lindsey has worked in the public and private sectors to support practical, innovative policies and engagement models to help urban centers find new ways to remain competitive, diverse, and innovative in today’s global economy. She previously worked in the cyber-security sector in a number of roles, including as the Director of Internal Communications at Symantec.
Lindsey received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University and is a proud Shaw resident.

Dr. Peter Pirnejad is an award-winning local government expert who has hands-on innovation, technology, and community development experience. With over 20 years local government experience in public administration, Dr. Pirnejad had previously served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Napa and as the Development Services Director for the City of Palo Alto. Dr. Pirnejad has received awards complimenting his team’s ability to develop policies that advance sustainability, building safety, and collaboration. His passion for advancing government technology earned him a range of innovation awards as well as a seat on a number of non-profit boards committed to promoting innovation in government, including Alliance for Innovation and CivStart.org.
Dr. Pirnejad has also served on a number of public sector membership boards and commissions, including president of the CA League of Cities (LCC) Planning Department and in mentoring of next generation City Managers with the International City/Council Management Association (ICMA). Dr. Pirnejad has a BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a Masters and Doctorate in Policy, Planning and Development from the University of Southern California.
Prior to assuming his role as the City/District Manager for the City of Foster City in January 2021, Dr. Pirnejad led Oracle’s Global Public Sector Industry Strategy focused on State and Local Government as the Executive Director. As City/District Manager for Foster City, he is applying his leadership abilities to best serve the needs of the public sector today and into the future.

Ted Price comes from a finance background in investment banking, where he underwrote large-scale debt transactions. He started GovInvest to tackle the problem of transparency and analysis in relation to public pensions and other post-employment benefits. He brings his finance knowledge as well as his entrepreneurial skills to help lead GovInvest and provide essential services to municipal governments. Ted graduated from Princeton with an AB in Astrophysics where he published multiple articles, and then went on to earn his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He was a member of the Division I varsity cross country and track teams at both universities. Ted is also an airline transport pilot and flight instructor.

Steve Ressler is a serial entrepreneur and investor in GovTech.
He was the founder and CEO of GovLoop, an online community connecting over 250,000+ government employees, which he successfully sold in 2009 to GovDelivery. He was also the Chief Marketing Officer of GovDelivery & eventually Granicus, one of the largest and fastest-growing software platforms serving state and local governments under Vista Equity Partners' ownership. He was most recently President of Callyo, a software and technology solutions provider for law enforcement, which he grew and ultimately led the sale of to Motorola Solutions in 2020.
He’s also a third-generation government employee, having started his career at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he worked for five years in a range of technology and counterterrorism roles. As part of this work, he received a graduate scholarship from DHS for his work on social network analysis and terrorism.
He is passionate about sharing the lessons and best practices he has learned founding, running and managing GovTech companies. He is an active investor in Govtech with 15+ investments including multiple successful exits. Steve, his wife and two boys live in Washington, DC and he spends his free time with his family playing Roblox, falling behind his kids’ Spanish skills, and perfecting his latte art.

Nia Richardson oversees the day-to-day operations of the KC BizCare Office, the City’s Business Customer Service Center, a free business resource, advocacy and information center for new and existing businesses operating within Kansas City. Established in 2009, BizCare provides guidance and assistance for businesses navigating the City’s licensing, permitting and vendor approval processes. Her work also includes streamlining initiatives to remove barriers to entry and systemic issues that impede a business’s ability to grow in Kansas City. She is an advocate between businesses and City departments to coordinate business-related concerns. Her work is vital to the City’s goal of becoming the “Most Entrepreneurial City in America.” Nia started with the City in November of 2018.

Citibot founder and CEO, Bratton Riley was brought up in a family committed to public service and is enthusiastic for the betterment of communities. As the son of longtime Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, Bratton brings a unique perspective to understanding issues facing local governments and the barriers of resident communication.
He previously worked in government for the Supreme Court of South Carolina and led development and legal practices for Maybank Industries, a maritime shipping and terminal company.
Bratton received a degree in history from the University of Virginia as well as a JD and MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina. He’s a Liberty Fellow; an incubator for exemplary leadership in South Carolina in conjunction with the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Bratton has also served on and led nonprofit boards in the areas of education, the arts, and public health.
Much like his father, he holds a firm belief that local government should be accessible to all residents and in order to best serve the public, it is essential to give a voice to all and encourage diverse perspectives. It was through this principle that Citibot was formed.
When he founded Citibot in 2016, Bratton saw an opportunity to help local government better serve residents by breaking down the barriers of inclusion and leveraging communications technology to modernize the customer service experience.
Since then, Citibot has been dedicated to creating fully-integrated, artificial intelligence-powered chat solutions that are built with the specific needs of local government in mind. Beyond technology, the Citibot team believes in collaborative partnerships to ensure success and to serve the greater mission of empowering residents and creating connected communities.

Nayeli enjoys thinking about the city of the future. She is interested in how changes in technology and the environment will affect how we design and use public space. An urban planner with a background in creative technology and journalism, she draws on interdisciplinary experience to navigate current generational challenges such as digital equity, automation, climate change, data privacy, resilience, and environmental justice. Nayeli’s work for the City of Boston aims to meaningfully and equitably integrate technology into Boston’s parks, streets, waterfronts, waterfronts, sidewalks, and other shared places. She values the power of technology to uplift and serve communities and people — not vice versa.
Nayeli previously worked as an urban planner at Sasaki, and managed creative projects for Google. She earned her Master’s in City Planning, City Design, and Development from MIT. She is currently a resident of the South End and represents her neighborhood as a member of the SPARK council.
A native of Texas and a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe, Nayeli’s first love is the perfect taco.

Walter C. Rossmann is a seasoned local government professional having served six cities in California since late 1990s. He currently holds the position of Deputy City Manager overseeing the City’s public safety, infrastructure and facilities, and recreation and community services functions. Prior to Milpitas, Walter served as the Chief Operating Officer for the City of Santa Clara and Assistant City Manager for the City of Sunnyvale overseeing City operations including public safety, internal support departments, and organization-wide initiatives. He also held various positions in the field of budget and finance with the cities of Milpitas, Palo Alto, San Jose, and San Diego. He earned a Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Travel Administration.

Paul Salama is Co-Founder & COO at ClearRoad, a platform that empowers governments with next-generation road pricing solutions for managing and funding transportation for the 21st-century.
As an urban planner and computer engineer, Paul is passionate about building solutions at the intersection of urbanism and technology and sees these as critical for achieving climate and equity goals.
With specializations in future mobility, road pricing, and EV infrastructure, Paul’s experience draws from a wide-ranging career including stints at the zoning automation startup Envelope, WXY, the Project for Public Spaces, the Furman Center, and Hewlett-Packard.

Roshen is a Partner at Exygy with deep experience in leadership, change management, product, and digital innovation. She is currently an account and strategy partner for Exygy’s civic portfolio, which includes the City and County of SF, Center for Effective Public Policy, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and Judicial Council of California. Prior to Exygy, Roshen was the COO for a social venture incubator and served a one year Americorps term in housing and community development. Roshen holds a BA from Duke University where she was a Baldwin Scholar.

Chris is a founder and is responsible for making sure the vision of Waterly stays clear and all about the precious resource of water and the good stewards that make it safe to drink and use. With 20+ years of water technology engineering and consulting experience, along with an entrepreneurial spirit and care for those he serves, he works with utilities on how to best use technology to work for utility leadership.

With over two decades of local government experience, Sean R. Stegall left Elgin, Illinois to become Cary’s Town Manager in 2016, where he is focusing on keeping Cary great by spearheading organizational development, promoting technological advancements, expanding economic opportunities, and strengthening the Town’s role as a regional partner to support Cary’s shift from a fast-growing to maturing community. Prior to Cary, Stegall’s professional journey included posts in three states addressing a wide variety of topics including finance and budgeting, parks and recreation, legislative affairs, communications and engagement, planning, technology, and battling blizzards. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University as well as a master’s in public administration from Northern Illinois University. He also holds certificates from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia and the Rocky Mountain Program at Colorado University.

Jenn Steinfeld is the Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development with the Center for City Solutions at the National League of Cities. Her program teams help cities develop more inclusive economies and more robust civic engagement. Jenn joined NLC from the City of Providence, RI where she served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Economic Opportunity. Jenn previously had a 20-year career in policy advocacy primarily focused on LGBTQ and gender equity issues, community health, and education. She was a founder of was a founder of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, and helped steward the organization through a decade of grassroots work leading to equal marriage legislation in 2013.
Jenn serves as the Chair of the Rhode Island State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights, and as Treasurer for the Capital Good Fund. She has an Bachelor’s Degree in Human Biology from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Mindfulness Studies and Contemplative Neuroscience from Lesley University, where she wrote her thesis in using reflective practice to interrupt white supremacy in higher education. Jenn also holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.

Pallavi is a Vice President at Serent Capital and leads Serent’s investment efforts in the government technology sector. Prior to joining Serent, Pallavi was an Associate at Riverside Partners, a mid-market technology-focused private equity firm. At Riverside, she was responsible for deal sourcing and execution across several vertical markets. Pallavi began her career at Greenhill & Co. where she worked on multiple merger, acquisition, and public-private-partnership assignments for government and infrastructure clients. Pallavi has an MBA from Harvard Business School as well as a BS in Economics and a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Twersky is Co-founder and CEO of Whyline, a market-leading software company that helps governments overcome queueing and congestion related bottlenecks via its award-winning virtual queueing and 'smart' appointment scheduling technology. The company works with a number of government agencies, has already serviced over 22 million people and has saved its users an amount of time equivalent to 58 years of a person's life. Before co-founding Whyline, Mr. Twersky worked for eight years as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan covering technology companies in Latin America and the U.S. from the bank’s offices in New York, Mexico and Brazil.

Mayor Wallace swore in as the first African-American of Manor, Texas, the 7th fastest growing suburb in America (2018) and top 20th best small cities to live in America (2019); President of Wallace Brothers & Associates which provides executive level coaching and mentorship, Co-Author of The Transition: Preparing for Financial Combat which is contracted with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES); and Co-Owner of The Transition which mentors within the transition assistance space.
He additionally serves as President of Texas Municipal League (Region 10); Veterans Services Advisory Committee Member for the Texas Veterans Commission; Chair for the Texas Veterans Leadership Task Force (Dept of VA – Community Veterans Engagement Board); Capital Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization Board Member; Black Community Initiatives Chair for the BSA Capitol Area Council & Nomination Chair for the Waterloo District; Advisory Member for the Eastern Crescent Health Now Committee; Manor Schoolhouse Foundation Board Member; School of Business Professional Advisory Committee Member and Military Task Force Member at Northcentral University.
Mayor Wallace also earned a Doctorates & MBA in Management by Northcentral University; Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies by University of Texas at Arlington; Masters in Human Relations & Business by Amberton University; Executive Leadership Certificates in Entrepreneurship by Texas A&M – Commerce & Saint Joseph University; Veterans in Politics & Civic Engagement Certificate by Syracuse University, and a Business Skills Certificate by University of Pennsylvania – Wharton.
He is married to the former Jamilah Sharp of Atlanta, Georgia, and father of Levi, and twins Madison and Elijah.

Mitch Weiss is a Professor of Management Practice in the Entrepreneurial Management unit and the Richard L. Menschel Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. He created and teaches the school's course on Public Entrepreneurship—on public leaders and private entrepreneurs who invent a difference in the world. He also teaches The Entrepreneurial Manager in the first year of the MBA Program. Prior to joining HBS in 2014, Mitch was Chief of Staff and a partner to Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino. Mitch helped shape New Urban Mechanics, Boston’s municipal innovation strategy, and make it a model for peer-produced government and change. He is the author of We the Possibility from Harvard Business Review Press (2021).

Chris Whittaker is City Manager of Angleton Texas, population 19,000 and growing! He was previously City Manager of Rockdale Texas (population of 5500) as his first City Management job. Prior to city Management, Chris retired from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel with 26 total years including 5 combat deployments. His Army skills are logistics and operations among jumping out of airplanes.
His education includes bachelor’s and Masters degrees, certifications in Public Management and Demonstrated Master Logistician.
He served and serves on Post Oak Savannah Ground Water Conservation District board, Association of Rural Communities in Texas Board and Gulf Coast Transit District Board.

Kirsten Wyatt is the executive director and co-founder of ELGL. Previously, she served as Assistant City Manager of West Linn, Oregon. Also at the city of West Linn, she was employed as the Assistant to the City Manager and the Finance Analyst. Prior to her tenure in West Linn, she served as a budget analyst for the Virginia Department of Education; as a graduate assistant with the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and as a communications consultant with Pacific Public Affairs. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Politics from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon; and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Jake focuses on deal origination and qualification, as well as developing investment themes and intermediary relationships.
Prior to joining Serent, Jake worked at H.I.G. Growth Partners, the growth affiliate of private equity firm H.I.G. Capital. At H.I.G., he was responsible for identifying, sourcing, and building relationships with companies in the business services, consumer retail, technology, and healthcare industries. Jake has also held positions at Knightsbridge Advisers, a venture capital fund of funds in Boston, and The BlackOak Group, a wealth management firm located in Buffalo, NY.
Jake graduated magna cum laude from Bentley University with a degree in finance.