Civic Tech Chat

Ryan Koch

Civic Tech Chat is a podcast about the civic tech…

  • 15 minutes 57 seconds
    Supply Chain Attacks

    Ryan Koch discusses the importance of understanding supply chain attacks in cybersecurity, illustrating how they exploit trust in software components and build systems, and offering practical strategies to mitigate these risks.

    Resources and Shoutouts:
    - GRC Engineering Presentation by AJ Yawn: https://engage.isaca.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=bd0c09c0-662f-4fe8-a0d2-019adaab6cc4&Home=%2fevents%2fcalendar 

    9 April 2026, 9:27 am
  • 54 minutes 30 seconds
    The SpecOps Method

    We're joined by Mark Headd author The SpecOps Method: A New Approach to Modernizing Legacy Technology Systems. We talk about good modernization practices like the strangler fig pattern as well as ways teams can use artificial intelligence to develop specifications that can be understood and validated across both technical and programmatic teams. 

    Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol

    18 March 2026, 12:12 pm
  • 31 minutes 23 seconds
    Nava Strata: Open Source Government Technology

    We’re joined by Ed Mullen, Technical Solutions Director and Lauren Ciferri Director of Product, over at Nava PBC. We’ll have a conversation about open source government technology, using Nava’s Strata project as a key example. The chat will dive into importance of open source in the space, maintaining projects like this one, and how one can get involved.

    Resources and shoutouts:

    Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol

    19 February 2026, 11:00 am
  • 44 minutes 49 seconds
    Digital Accessibility
    We're joined by Mike Paciello (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-paciello-1231741/), Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye (https://audioeye.com) for a conversation about web accessibility standards. We'll talk about upcoming deadlines for local and state governments, foundational principles, and what goes into establishing and updating standards. Resources and shoutouts: - Civic Plus (www.civicplus.com) - US Access Board (https://www.access-board.gov/) - ADA Fact Sheet (https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) ##### Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    28 January 2026, 11:56 am
  • 9 minutes 18 seconds
    Nexperia Crises
    Our host Ryan Koch talks about the Dutch Government's invocation of the 1952 Good Availablity Act. This action recently led to what's been referred to as the 'Nexperia Crises' creating a scenario where technical hardware manufacturing, supply chains, and geopolitics collided. ##### Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/hECzBJh
    3 December 2025, 10:45 am
  • 45 minutes 18 seconds
    Evolution of Design and Research in Civic Tech
    We’re joined by Senongo Akpem (https://www.linkedin.com/in/senongoakpem/) Vice President of Design and Research at Nava PBC (https://navapbc.com/). Together we talk about shifts in the direction of the design and research practice, innovative practices to build capacity and leadership within it, and its future as new tools like artificial intelligence emerge and become part of it. Resources and shoutouts: Cross-Cultural Design (Book by Senongo) | https://bookshop.org/p/books/cross-cultural-design-senongo-akpem/7700a228f8e33947 Plain Language with Indiana DWD | https://www.in.gov/mph/files/DataDayPresentation-Plain-Language_v3-Comp.pdf Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    20 October 2025, 10:22 am
  • 23 minutes 25 seconds
    99 FormFest
    We're joined by Amanda Renteria (https://codeforamerica.org/people/amanda-renteria/) CEO of Code for America (https://codeforamerica.org). We dive into a conversation about what's needed to make 'good' government forms and we let you know about a neat event coming up on 9/30/2025 called FormFest(https://formfest.org/). Register for the event here: https://formfest.org/register/ . Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    29 September 2025, 4:05 pm
  • 30 minutes 55 seconds
    98 Proactive Traffic Safety
    We're joined by Brett Ferrin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-ferrin-8504b8346/) VP of Sales at Traffic Logix. Together we have a conversation about how technology and data can be used to proactively improve traffic safety. If you're into data, urban planning, or transportation, this is an episode for you. Resources and Shoutouts: - Traffic Logix: https://trafficlogix.com/ - Vision Zero: https://www.cdc.gov/transportation-safety/vision-zero/index.html Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    29 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 53 minutes 13 seconds
    97 Pioneering Progress: Advocating for Experimentation in Government with Nava Labs
    We're talking about experimentation in government services with two experts from Nava Labs, a philanthropically funded part of Nava PBC: Genevieve Gaudet (Director) and Martelle Esposito (Partnerships and Evaluation Manager). Learn about their approach to experimentation, leveraging data, and how they advocate for adoption. Resources and shoutouts - Keep up with the Nava Labs team (make sure to select the "Nava Labs" checkbox): https://www.navapbc.com/nava-newsletter - Nava PBC website: https://www.navapbc.com - Nava Labs’ work, including the AI tools for Caseworkers project: https://www.navapbc.com/labs - AI appropriateness checklist: https://www.navapbc.com/toolkits/ai-public-sector-challenges - Feel free to reach out to the Nava Labs team any time at [email protected]
    25 June 2025, 9:22 am
  • 35 minutes 36 seconds
    96 We the Songwriters
    We're joined by Ami Yares (https://www.amiyares.com/) songwriter and Executive Director of Build a Bridge (https://buildabridge.org), a non-profit that focuses on transforming lives through art-making, and by Shannon, a User Experience designer with over 20 years experience including time across 3 Federal agencies. We'll talk about their initiative called We the Songwriters (https://www.wethesongwriters.org), which connects federal employees with songwriters to share their stories. Resources and Shoutouts: - Friends of USAID Playlist (https://open.spotify.com/artist/33NtIX8ae3eovd3AQtMEKO?si=S2IhqKRHSFqAA1xKH3Ts8Q&nd=1&dlsi=54817e06c5dd427b) - Song: USAID (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlFaXtVW4VM) Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    30 May 2025, 10:00 am
  • 27 minutes 23 seconds
    95 Code for America Summit 2025
    We're joined by Amanda Renteria (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-renteria/), CEO of Code for America to discuss their upcoming Summit event. We'll cover a bit about the event itself, the state of the civic tech ecosystem, and the impact that event could have on the space. Resources and shoutouts - https://codeforamerica.org - https://summit.codeforamerica.org/ Music Credit: Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol
    23 May 2025, 10:20 am
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