Tom Spengler - CivStart

Submitted by on Mon, 07/07/2025 - 11:09
Tom Spengler has over 23 years of dedicated local government technology experience. As the former CEO and co-founder of Granicus, Tom helped create the market-leading citizen engagement and legislative management solution used by more than 6,000 government agencies and 500 million citizens. More recently, during Spengler’s tenure as CEO, Rock Solid accelerated growth in North America and expanded its offerings through acquisition, growing to serve more than 800 municipal customers across the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Chip Kennedy, Social Entrepreneur

Submitted by on Mon, 07/07/2025 - 10:59
Chip is building a company that helps public officials and helps all of us live up to the ideals of our democracy. Day by day he's focused on what local governments need, what makes communities strong, and how to make the AI revolution work for everyone. Chip cares about the Research Triangle, NC living up to it's (extraordinarily high) potential as a tech and startup ecosystem. His mission is to build great big things that serve the builders, the users, communities, and society. I care about building tech that brings more equity, access, and dignity.

Denise Linn Riedl, Chief Innovation Officer, City of South Bend

Submitted by on Mon, 07/07/2025 - 10:54
Denise Linn Riedl is a dedicated public servant and the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of South Bend, Indiana. With a passion for civic engagement and digital equity, she leads initiatives to modernize government services using data and technology. Her diverse background spans across various roles in government technology, telecommunications, and civic innovation, reflecting her commitment to creating inclusive urban environments. Denise has lived in several major cities, enriching her perspective on urban challenges and solutions.

Enhancing Local Government Service Delivery with Govtech: A Conversation with Amanda Renteria, CEO, Code for America

Submitted by on Thu, 07/03/2025 - 14:47

I recently had the pleasure of hosting The Business of Government Hour at CivStart’s State of GovTech 2025. This event brought together government executives, technology leaders, startups, and academics to explore innovative solutions for local governments at the intersection of governance and technology.

Understanding Customer Experience and Technology Tools to Improve Payment Integrity: Key Insights from an Expert Roundtable

Submitted by on Wed, 07/02/2025 - 11:35

At the "Recommendations for Improving Payment Integrity" roundtable, participants discussed strategies for enhancing the integrity of government payments (see our first overview post on how AI and emerging technologies can support such strategies).

Exploring the Evolving Ecosystems of CivTech and GovTech: Conversations from the State of Govtech 2025

Submitted by on Mon, 06/30/2025 - 13:24
How are innovative startup solutions reshaping local government services? What drives the collaboration between startups, tech leaders, and public sector executives? Where is government technology headed next? Join host Michael J. Keegan for a special edition of The Business of Government Hour from the State of GovTech 2025 event hosted by CivStart.
Broadcast Date: 
Monday, June 30, 2025 - 13:18
Author: 
Amanda Renteria and Niles Friedman
Audio: 
Audio icon govtech2025_renteria_friedman_podcast_abcd.mp3

Niles Friedman, Board Chair

Submitted by on Mon, 06/30/2025 - 13:18
Niles Friedman specializes in the creation and growth of businesses, divisions, and core functions within organizations. He’s built an adaptable approach to strategically collaborate across sectors, industries, and geographies through his work with c-suite executives, startup founders, public-sector administrators, boards, and nonprofit leaders. He is a Founding Executive Advisor with Star Insights, a strategic advisory firm based in Los Angeles.

Amanda Renteria, CEO, Code for America

Submitted by on Mon, 06/30/2025 - 13:04
Amanda Renteria leads Code for America as CEO, steering a transformative organization that sits at the forefront of civic technology and digital government innovation. Under her leadership, Code for America has emerged as a crucial partner to governments and community organizations nationwide, working to realize the vision of “a government by the people, for the people in the digital age.”

Weekly Roundup: June 23-27, 2025

Submitted by on Fri, 06/27/2025 - 17:09

Emerging Technologies

Quantum Complacency Could Be Catastrophic, Lawmakers Told. The United States is on track to “experience a DeepSeek moment in quantum” unless it takes accelerated action on the quantum tech front, witnesses told lawmakers this week as they warned of “catastrophic” consequences if China wins the global race in quantum computing.  

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