March 27, 2026

Years Ahead

An opportunity for students to learn directly from practitioners who built the first generation of digital government.

Date Friday, March 27
Time 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Location Annenberg Auditorium, Weill Hall, University of Michigan
About

Years Ahead brings together pioneering civic technologists, people who led digital service teams at 18F, USDS, Code for America, and state and local governments, with students entering the field. An afternoon of candid conversation about what actually happened in the first wave of government modernization and what the next generation needs to know.

Schedule

Agenda

1:00 PM

Lunch

2:00 PM

Introduction

Ron Bronson
2:15 PM Virtual Panel

“What Working in Government Taught Me As A Technologist”

Elizabeth Goodman, Lane Becker, Rachael Dietkus, Heather Battaglia, and Amanda Kennedy
3:15 PM

Participatory Design Workshop

4:00 PM Panel

“How Change Actually Works: Perspectives on Policy, Power, and What Gets Built”

Aidan Sova, John Buckley, Kate Green, and Alan Brouilette
After the Conference

Networking Reception

Join us after the conference for a networking reception. You will be able to engage with event participants and special guests from Civilla Detroit and the Public Policy Lab in New York. Light refreshments will be served.

When Friday, March 27, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Where Becky Blank Great Hall, Weill Hall, 735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
RSVP for the Reception

Co-sponsors