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Originally published by Govlaunch in January 2021: For small to medium-sized governments, resources and budgets are particularly strained and most feel they are understaffed to provide frontline services effectively. On top of this, governments are now navigating a pandemic, which has forced even more attention on the bottom line, the use of digital tools, accessibility,...

Originally published May 2019 by Code for America: The founding vision of Code for America is for a government that works by the people, for the people, in the digital age. We want to see this at all levels of government, but we know that the work of changing and improving systems often starts at...

Rebecca Woodbury thinks employees of the city of San Rafael, Calif., should have tech tools that inspire creativity and innovative thinking in order to serve their community. She knows that’s not necessarily government’s strong suit, but she doesn’t accept that it can’t be, which explains her recognition as one of 2017’s Doers, Dreamers and Drivers....

Originally published in Western City in January 2020: Local government is in transition. Public trust in government has declined, and there is no shortage of high expectations. According to a 2016 survey, 85 percent of Americans expect the same or higher quality from government digital services as they would get from a private company. In...

Originally published in GovTech in October 2016: The public sector moves more slowly than the business world. Government information technology contracts are huge, long-term beasts. Public agencies prefer establishment over risk. All of that used to be true — but it’s changing. According to a group of businesspeople and public officials who gathered Thursday in...

Originally published in Techwire on June 3, 2019: San Rafael’s new Digital Service & Open Government department released a Draft Strategic Framework late last month that proposes four tech focuses: open engagement, service design, data use and analytics, and technology modernization. Rebecca Woodbury, the agency director, said she and her fellow staffers “see ourselves as capacity builders” helping...

Originally published in Government Technology Magazine (Jan/Feb 2018). It was part of Voices in Gov Tech, featuring the unique perspectives of leaders in the market. Read the full series here. Despite the critical work that public servants do for their communities, many lack the tech tools they need to do their jobs. I should know; I’ve worked in...