#706 Maintaining Good Government During Transitions with Jessica Carrero, East Hartford, CT
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
Release Date: 12/12/2025
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
Adrianna Tušek Erickson, Connection & Impact Program Coordinator for the City of Chandler, Arizona, joined the podcast to talk about connection and belonging. She discussed the importance of serving all residents in the community and why allyship is important. She shared the impact that changes from the Federal government have had her work. She also talked about the transition of reentering the workforce after a ten year break. Host:
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Nick Lemmer, Outreach & Communications Specialist for Goodhue County, Minnesota joined the podcast to discuss public communications. He talked about the challenge and importance of building trust in rural communities. He shared rebranding projects from his past position, communicating cost shifts in reduced federal funding, and public communication related to data centers. Host:
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Emma Falkenstein, Associate Planner at Highland Planning joined the podcast to discuss participatory mapping. She talked about community walk audits and how can local governments can incorporate walk audits into their regular planning procedures. She also talked about the value of community relationships as it relates to shaping where people live. Host:
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Cori Zarek, Vice President for North America at Apolitical joined the podcast to talk about her career in public interest technology and helping make government smarter. She shared how Apolitical is working to support peer learning among government staffers and a recent report they published on from organizations across the country. She also discussed the trends and insights they have found in how government staffers are using artificial intelligence and how organizations can support their staff. Host:
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Chachi Angelo, Director of External Affairs at Pennie, the State of Pennsylvania's Health Insurance Marketplace, joined the podcast to discuss how state healthcare marketplaces and local governments are interconnected. He shared what the healthcare marketplace does and how residents interact with it, how municipalities partner with Pennie during enrollment periods, and how to communicate in a way that builds trust at the local level. Host:
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Joseph Sherlock, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science and Public Policy at King's College London, joined the podcast to discuss the state of behavioral science in government. He talked about what is behavioral science and examples of how it has been applied in the public sector. Then he shared how the field is evolving and the importance of running experiments in your organization. Host:
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Two guests from Reno County, Kansas joined the podcast to talk about the process behind unifying rural fire districts. Randy Partington is the County Administrator for Reno County and Adam Weishaar is the Director of Emergency Management for Reno County. They shared the challenges the fire districts were facing that led to the unification such as equipment, training, and staffing issues. Then they discussed the transition toward consolidation and lessons learned and takeaways from their experience. Host:
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Alex Lawrence, Chief People Officer for the City of Boston, Massachusetts, the podcast to talk about organizational change, development, and human resources. She discussed change management and the importance of communication for human resources. She shared how her background in innovation has influenced her career. She also reflected on local government trends from the last 10 years. Host:
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Chyanne Eyde, Deputy Chief of School Planning for the Government of the District of Columbia joined the podcast to discuss how not to engage historically marginalized communities in public outreach. She shared difficulties she was having in engagement and how it was negatively impacting her work. She then discussed how the engagement process has evolved and lessons learned in engagement. Host:
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José Madrigal, City Manager for the City of Durango, Colorado joined the podcast to talk about leadership and changing culture. He discussed his decision to take on the City Manager job and how he decided to leave Texas for Colorado. He shared how he got to know the organization, figured out what to change, and how he has worked to break down silos in the organization and create a unified leadership team. Host:
info_outlineJessica Carrero, Operations Project Manager for the Town of East Hartford, Connecticut joined the podcast to discuss project management and ensuring operations continue when organizations go through changes. She shared her experience during mayoral transitions, how standard operating procedures helped her succeed during those transitions, and how to navigate tension between new ideas and current practices.
Host: Marissa Baum