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#ELGL17 (+ Detroit) Proud

Posted on May 16, 2017


Proud Detroiter

#ELGL17 last week in Detroit was proof that ELGL is leading the way to a new approach in uniting innovation and government leadership.

From the opening kickoff to the end, the passion and energy was unquestionably relevant, authentic and engaged.

I know many people played a role in making #ELGL17 happen, but a big thank you to Kirsten Wyatt and Kent Wyatt for your leadership in founding ELGL and being the driving force for a fresh perspective on how public service leaders can serve.

Detroit itself was incredible. The people, local pride and resilience was on display everywhere. As part of the conference, I took the Neighborhood Revitalization Tour, where we visited Artesian Farms, Artist Village Detroit and Good Cakes and Bakes (love those shirts), all of which highlighted how locals are reimagining entrepreneurship and space in the spirit of Detroit.

As our host at Motor City Java House told us, “The energy is love.

I finally met Coeur d’Alene Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor, one of my local government heroes and a true inspiration to those who know him, and ProudCity COO Kevin Herman and I had a chance to connect in real life with two of our marquee cities, San Rafael (Calif.) and Kettering (Ohio). Spending time with Rebecca Woodbury and Cristine Alilovich from San Rafael, and Stacy Schweikhart from Kettering reinforced the work we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and who we’re doing it with.

During the Friday Technology Learning Lab, Frederik Groce from Storm Ventures did a fantastic job hosting presentations and moderating a discussion on govtech startups, software-as-a-service and the important roles each play in reinventing government digital service. Big thank you to our fellow morning session presenters Next Request, Board Sync, NRC and Bang the Table.

I was especially inspired by Detroit City Councilor Raquel Castañeda-López, her personal story and deep commitment to Detroit, as well as DC Water CEO George Hawkins and his visionary approach to branding and humanizing government services.

Other highlights:

As we left early, ELGL asked attendees to share what makes them #governmentproud, and here are a few great responses:

We’re proud to be part of the ELGL community. Thanks to everyone for making it happen and letting us be part of it.

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