Using WordPress and Open Source to Improve Government, With Luke Fretwell

Luke Fretwell is one of the most creative and pioneering people I've met in open source. He's enjoyed a 25+ year career that has covered multiple projects, collaborations, and businesses. The through-line for all Luke's projects has been making government better through technology. 

Luke created GovPress, a very popular WordPress theme focused for governments. He built Proud City, a WordPress-based SaaS service for government. His latest work includes ScanGov to track the quality of government websites, and Proudly Serving, a collectively written playbook that helps governments build people-centered digital public services.

• LukeFretwell.com: Luke's personal site.
• Govfresh.com: Luke's consultancy
• ProudCity.com: a WordPress-based platform for local governments
• ProudlyServingBook.com: local government digital services handbook
• ScanGov.org: Government digital experience monitor
• Chatcivic.ai: Government AI chatbots

Timestamps:

• 02:53: The Journey from Journalism to Technology
• 10:15: Connecting Technology and Government
• 12:09: The Birth of GovFresh
• 16:12: Launching Proud City
• 24:27: Navigating the Government Market
• 24:55: Navigating Government Procurement Challenges
• 28:05: Innovating in Government Tech: The Innovator's Dilemma
• 29:28: Introducing ScanGov: A Civic Tech Initiative
• 36:13: The Future of Civic Tech and Open Source
• 41:24: AI in Government: ChatCivic and Its Potential
• 53:17: Civic Leadership and Influential Voices