GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Being bold and pushing boundaries. Daniel Roberts, the Head of Communications at BrightDrop, joined the podcast to talk about lessons he's learned as a leader early in his career. He discussed his leadership philosophy, developing staff, and working in both the public and private sectors. This episode was recorded from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Forum 2022 in Grand...

Step up and stand out. Jonathan Henry, the Student Representative on the NFBPA Board of Directors, joined the podcast to talk about starting his career, his interest in accounting and information technology, and the value of internships. He discussed how students can position themselves for success in the workplace and in their job and internship searches. This episode was recorded from the Nation...

Sharing experiences and learning from each other. Tanisha Briley, the City Manager of the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, rejoined the podcast to talk about how to become a City Manager. She explained her leadership style along with obstacles faced in her career. Tanisha shared skills needed and advice for those who want to become a City Manager. This episode was recorded from the National Forum f...

Planning for the future. Paul Lewis, Chief Planning Manager for the City of Orlando, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about the innovative planning practices in the City of Orlando. He shared the City's tables of connection initiative that was completed as part of the AARP Community Challenge program. Paul also detailed how Orlando incorporates age-friendly and future ready concepts into their...

Three guests joined the podcast to talk about the Great Resignation, the impact on the local government workforce, and how to engage staff. Ronnie Dampier is the Chief of Staff for the District Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. Melody Lennox is the Senior Vice President of People Operations for Axxess. Magarita Hudgins is the Assistant Vice President of Colonial Life. They shared cha...

Slaying the data dragon. Two guests from the City of Longmont, Colorado joined the podcast to discuss the City's use of data and recent What Works Cities Certification. Becky Doyle is the Executive Director of Consolidated Services and Sandi Seader is the Assistant City Manager. They discussed the Longmont CAReS program, which makes it easier for community members to receive assistance, and how th...

Creating a better functioning society. Two guests joined the podcast to discuss their partnership to improve fiscal strategy for local governments. Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser & Associates, and Lawrence Greenspun, Director of Public Sector Engagement at the Drucker Institute, discussed a combined learning approach to fiscal strategy. They also discussed making public finance more rela...

Keeping carbon captured. Two guests joined the podcast to discuss urban forestry and sustainability. Scott Altenhoff, an Urban Forestry Management Analyst with the City of Eugene, OR, and Marisa Repka, the Co-Founder and CFO of Cambium Carbon, discussed more sustainable ways of disposing of deceased trees.  They covered end users, implementation, and data tracking for the City's new Reforestation...

Livable communities for people of all ages. Three guests from the City of Salinas, California joined the podcast to talk about creating an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) educational campaign that included brochures, bilingual workshops for the public, and a technical workshop for contractors and other professionals that develop ADUs in the City. Raul Ortega is a Junior Engineer in Permit Services,...

Improving access for utility payments. Tyler Douthit, City Controller / Utilities CFO for the City of Lawrence, Indiana, joined the podcast to talk about how the City worked to increase customer options for making utility payments. He discussed implementing a kiosk and online self-service payments. He also shared how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this work and how they reallocated staff time afte...

She leads the way. Two guests from the City of Warrensburg, Missouri joined the podcast to discuss women in the fire service. Danielle Dulin, City Manager, and Anna Koons, Fire Department Captain, discussed recruitment and retention strategies for firefighters and how they have achieved a fire department comprised of over 30% women. Danielle and Anna also shared advice for how women can move into...

Reach In, Reach Out, Reach Over. Danya Perry, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Wake County, North Carolina, joined the podcast to discuss his work in local government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). He provided a definition of DEI along with what change looks like in local government. Danya highlighted the common mistakes of DEI work and what we can do day to day to improve...

A very special episode of GovLove. To mark the occasion of 500 episodes of a podcast about local government, the team looks back at some of their favorite moments of the podcast. Kirsten Wyatt and Kent Wyatt talked about the origins of ELGL and how the organization has grown (00:02:53). The GovLove Producers, Ben Kittelson and Michael Montgomery, share their favorite segments of the podcast (00:44...

Sara Bronin, Professor of Architecture and Planning at Cornell University, joined the podcast to discuss a recent article she wrote about the need for a zoning atlas. She talked about her time on the Planning Commission in the City of Hartford, Connecticut and how they updated the City's zoning code. She discussed founding Desegregate Connecticut and creating the Connecticut Zoning Atlas as well a...

Empowering the next generation of mission-driven technologists. Eva Pereira, Chief Data Officer for the City of Los Angeles, California, joined the podcast to discuss hosting a Fellow from Coding it Forward . She shared the positive experience she had with the program including the work they completed and the talent that the Fellow brought to the City. She also talked about the work of her team an...

Using K9s to fight COVID-19. Paul Douglas, Sheriff's Office Captain for Bristol County, Massachusetts, joined the podcast to discuss using the K9 unit to detect COVID-19. He shared how the program started and how the dogs are trained. Paul discussed the partnership between the Sheriff's Office and local school districts to better detect positive COVID-19 cases. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Odie Donald, Chief of Staff for the City of Atlanta, Georgia, joined the podcast just before his transition to his current job to talk about his time as the Administrator for the consolidated government of Augusta–Richmond County, Georgia. He discussed the City's work engaging the community and incorporating feedback into the budget process. He also talked about leading the organization during the...

Sustainable design. Farah Ahmad, Architect for the City of New York City, NY, joined the podcast to talk about green building standards and sustainability. She shared some of the trends in the architecture and design fields as well as initial steps into implementing sustainable design. She also shared her career path into local government and how organizations can do a better job recruiting archit...

Identifying and correcting bias in County operations and service delivery. Two guests from Ottawa County, Michigan joined the podcast to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion. Robyn Afrik, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and John Shay, Acting County Administrator, discussed the history of how the DEI Office was formed, the goals, and what equity looks like internally with with emp...

Joining together to reduce homelessness. Cathy Alderman, the Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, joined the podcast to talk about putting housing first to reduce homelessness. She shared the work of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and what Denver's innovative Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond initiative is doing to help.  Cathy dis...

Examining the equity and effectiveness of emergency communications systems. Rebecca Neusteter, the Executive Director of University of Chicago Health Lab, joined the podcast to talk about the Transform911 initiative which is exploring how the nation's 911 system can better prioritize health and safety and ensure the right responder is dispatched at the right time. She shared the history of emergen...

Aligning revenues with a modern economy. Shayne Kavanagh, Senior Manager of Research for GFOA, and Jason Loya, Management Analyst for the City of Monrovia, CA, joined the podcast to talk about GFOA's Rethinking Revenue initiative. The initiative poses that local government revenues have not kept up with the times and need to be rethought to make them more equitable. Shayne and Jason gave backgroun...

Shining light on the invisible loss. Bobby Wilson, Council Member for the City of Pittsburgh, PA, joined the podcast to talk about bereavement leave for loss of pregnancy. He shared how the City of Pittsburgh came up with the idea and formed to policy to enact this leave for City employees. Bobby explained the different types of pregnancy losses included in the leave. He also let listeners know th...

Being a sounding board. Derek Burnham, Principal at Burnham Planning & Development and who's partner Meredith Reynolds is Deputy City Manager of Long Beach, CA, joined the podcast to discuss how he supports his partner in local government. Derek highlighted the need for work-life balance and how his knowledge of local government has helped him better understand the work of his partner. Host: Kirst...

Can effective organizational rules reduce turnover? Dr. Erin Borry, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Dr. Leisha DeHart-Davis, Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, joined the podcast to talk about research into the impact of runes on employee turnover. Their article uses survey and administrative data to show that that effective organizational r...