#707 Using Artificial Intelligence to Empower Public Servants with Jorge Valens, Miami-Dade County, FL
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
Release Date: 12/19/2025
#722 Public Communications and Building Trust in Rural Communities with Nick Lemmer, Goodhue County, MN
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#721 How Participatory Mapping Can Transform Your Community with Emma Falkenstein, Highland Planning
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#720 Making Government Smarter with Cori Zarek, Apolitical
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#719 Healthcare Marketplaces and Local Government with Chachi Angelo, Pennie
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#718 State of Behavioral Science in Government with Joseph Sherlock, King's College London
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#717 Unifying Rural Fire Districts with Reno County, KS
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#716 Building a People-Centered Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#715 How Not to Engage Historically Marginalized Communities with Chyanne Eyde, Washington, DC
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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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#714 Breaking Down Silos and Changing Culture with José Madrigal, Durango, CO
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
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:
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#713 Floating Flower Islands with Yocelyn Galiano, Pinecrest, FL
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
Yocelyn Galiano, Village Manager for the Village of Pinecrest, Florida joined the podcast to discuss their floating flower islands project to help with water pollution. She discussed what the project entails, the primary inspiration behind launching this pilot program, and how have the floating islands have performed so far in reducing invasive plant species and improving canal water quality. Host:
info_outlineAI meets local government. Jorge Valens, Innovation Manager for Miami-Dade County, FL, joined the podcast to talk about the opportunities artificial intelligence represents for local government organizations and his recent article on the topic. He talked about how these tools can improve the efficiency of subject matter experts and allow organizations to test ideas quickly. He shared examples of how they use AI and human centered design together in Miami-Dade County. He also discussed the skills needed and the importance of skepticism and ethics in using AI.
Host: Ben Kittelson