GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Two guests rejoined the podcast to discuss finance and innovation. Chris Morrill, Executive Director, and Shayne Kavanagh, Senior Manager of Research, at the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) discussed their work. They talked about GFOA's research initiatives and how they are helping organizations deal with recent changes in federal funding. They shared why GFOA is changing its membership structure. They talked about a...

Angela Wilson, the Deputy Public Information Officer for the Town of Frederick, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about communications in a fast-growing community. She shared strategies the Town uses to stay engaged with residents and how to provide honest and transparent communications to residents. She also discussed the importance of setting expectations with new employees and her approach to onboarding new staff.

Host: Ben K...

Ariana Adame, Assistant City Manager for the City of West Sacramento, California, joined the podcast talk about her career path and capital projects. She discussed the pros and cons of career paths working for one or many jurisdictions. She talked about her time leading the City's capital program and how they incorporate equity into the work. She also shared the pro and cons of leaving an organization, how to leverage new hires fro...

This week we're sharing one of our favorite interviews from the GovLove archive. This episode originally aired in August 2021 and is all about successful employee onboarding.

Benjamin Mead-Harvey, Instructional Designer for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, came back to the podcast to discuss onboarding. He shared tips on how to improve in three areas: welcome elements, training with the team, and onboarding check-in mee...

Join the GovLove co-hosts as they celebrate GovLove turning 10 years old! It has somehow been 10 years of sharing local government stories from across the country. The co-hosts reflected on those years and the growth of the podcast and then shared their hot takes for what local government will be like when GovLove turns 20 years old.

We want to hear from you! What do you think local government will look like in 10 years? Call the G...

Dylan Russell, the Executive Director of Lead for North Carolina and Faculty Lead for Public Service Matters at the UNC School of Government, joined the podcast to talk about connecting young leaders to local government service. He shared his experience starting Lead for America and placing recent graduates in fellowships. He also discussed how local governments can support and retain talent as well as how local government and pros...

Polly Walker, Director of Organizational Performance and Innovation for the City of Henderson, Nevada joined the podcast to discuss the City's achievement of earning the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. She talked about why the City chose to go after the award, building buy-in to the journey, and the organizational changes the process led to. She also shared her journey from entry level employee to department director, the...

Two guests joined the podcast to talk about the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification program. Rochelle Haynes is the Managing Director for What Works Cities Certification at Results for America and Carrie Bishop serves as Data Initiative Lead for the Government Innovation Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. They shared examples of local government problems solved through data analysis, what can hold cities back...

Brooks Williams, City Manager for the City of Ferris, Texas joined the podcast to discuss his passion for public service and building a responsive government. He shared how he transformed the City of Ferris into a results-driven local government and how they measure operating efficiency. He discussed his thought provoking LinkedIn posts on local government leadership and public service. He shared his views on the role of local gove...

Michael Jordan, the City Administrator for the City of Portland, Oregon, joined the podcast to discuss Portland's transition to a new form of government. He talked about the voter apporved change in 2022 and the work that went into preparing the organization for its first elections under the new form of government in 2024. He shared how the transition occurred, unexpected challenges during the transition, and how City Council membe...

Kim Nakahodo, a 2025 ELGL Top Influencer and Deputy City Administrator for the City of North Kansas City, Missouri joined to podcast to discuss her journey in local government. She shared the value of professional organizations and the importance of empowering and engaging youth. She also talked about the impact of losing a police officer in the line of duty and creatively involving the public in the budgeting process.

This episode...

Emily Colon, former Deputy City Manager for the City of Lakeland, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about her career and two important management concepts. She recently wrote about the importance of nonpartisanship and she discussed how it can be a superpower for local government staff in an era of high polarization. She shared her approach for how she managed department directors and other positions in her career that were sub...