Designing the Human Help that Government Technology Needs in the AI Era

Before joining Partners for Public Good, I spent seven years as CIO for the City of South Bend, Ind. Like many city CIOs, my job pulled me in unexpected directions. On paper, I was responsible for IT systems and infrastructure. In practice, my job’s day-to-day was much more about people than technology. My team redesigned cross-departmental services, walked in the shoes of our partnered departments, co-developed tools with users, answered to residents that “just wanted things to work,” and led the first era of governance and experimentation with generative AI in our workforce.   

In South Bend, IT was a small back-office team, but we managed to do big things. As I think back on the work, I see the very human throughlines to IT success: intentional change management, cooperation across departments, strategic procurement, product management mindsets, and teams with enough capacity to both keep the lights on and build toward the future.  

That calling for back-office innovation, excellence, and ambition is why PPG exists. It’s a mission that resonated with me enough to leave public service and build a vision for PPG Tech.  

Throughout Partners for Public Good’s on-the-ground work, the signs have increasingly pointed to the need to invest in technology as our next frontier. Our CEO Kailey Burger Ayogu recently shared her perspective on why it’s imperative that we expand our focus.  

When we consider the challenges facing government operations right now, technological change touches every public servant. Think of a government HR director getting an influx of AI-generated job applications, a mayor desperate to speed up permitting, or a city lawyer overwhelmed by redaction and open records requests. This expansion into technology meets our PPG mission and moment.  

How We’re Informing PPG Tech  

My first step was to treat PPG’s new technology team like a product. If we wanted to build something additive to our ecosystem and useful to state and local operational teams, we had to center our design on what our users need. I spent the first few months of 2026 talking to more than 75 government technology leaders, vendors, peer nonprofits, and funders, asking simple questions about what was hard, what was missing, and what type of support would be most welcome. They are our partners and it was essential to design around them.

What I didn’t hear:  

• “X tool will solve all my problems.” 
• “I have a perfectly resourced, customer service-obsessed, future-proof IT team.” 
• “I have absolutely no questions or concerns about AI.” 
• “Technology procurement, cross-team collaboration, and governance works perfectly.” 
• “I find the government technology marketplace a trustworthy, easy-to-navigate space.” 
• “I have no interest in piloting new technology.” 

What I did hear, over and over: 

• “I wish start-ups selling things to me knew more about my problems and priorities.” 
• “IT is the ceiling for success in my government.” 
• “There’s a lot of risk aversion, job loss fear, and disagreement regarding AI.” 
• “HR, procurement, legal—everyone has to level up their tech confidence.” 
• “Vendors make big promises. How do we hold them accountable? Work better with them?” 
• “I wish there was an easier, more supported way to test drive new technology.” 

It was validating to observe that the most pressing challenges identified were so human, so similar to the insights I carried with me from South Bend. It’s intentional change management, collaborative muscle, product management mindsets, and pure human capacity that’s in demand.  

Learn more & connect with PPG Tech

PPG Tech’s Starting Point 

Given what we’ve heard from our stakeholders, our plan is to work side-by-side with governments and focus on the human problems of technological change. Governments need hands-on, in-the-weeds technology implementation and governance assistance from a mission-driven, vendor-neutral partner unafraid of complexity. Public servants need prototyping power, the confidence to navigate and shape the government technology marketplace, and skills to get the most out of their vendors.  

That will mean working directly with government teams as they assess how IT is structured and where it’s getting stuck.  

That will mean setting up spaces and feedback loops for back-office innovators to articulate their needs and catalyze new tools and functionality in their marketplace. 

That will mean working closely with governments on pilots, mediating product feedback, adding capacity, and measuring what works. 

And it will mean helping back office executives step back and clarify strategies around AI: how to get AI ready, what investments are worth it, when building (not buying) makes sense, and how to manage the big changes AI catalyzes on their teams. 

What’s Next? How Can We Work Together?

Right now PPG Tech is building out our new team, undertaking direct government demonstration projects, crafting executive education training programs and publications for public servants, and designing product innovation programs. Expect to hear more from PPG Tech in the coming months as we announce programs, offerings, and resources for government teams.  

We’re also eager to engage with new partners of all types. If this vision resonates with you or if you’d like to connect with PPG Tech for follow-up, let’s talk. 

To stay updated on new programs, services, and PPG Tech job openings, follow Partners for Public Good on LinkedIn.