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10 Years, Moving On, & More Awesomeness

GovLoopers:

It’s hard to believe but 2018 will be the 10-year anniversary of GovLoop.

And it’s been quite a journey from:

  • Our June 2008 launch from my old white Macbook at a coffee shop (ouch that’s not the most beautiful site, and ouch that’s the most embarrassing YouTube video of all time)
  • Hitting our 10,000th member and celebrating in style
  • Being acquired by GovDelivery and then given the freedom to continue to run independently
  • Hiring our first employees (shout-out to Megan, Andy K, Doug), growing the team across three different office moves, all the while building a super smart team and a great culture
  • Launching as a joke the “Government Doesn’t Suck” Rally and ending up with 100+ folks at our rally and coverage everywhere from local papers to Fox News
  • Joining with YGL to launch and grow the largest conference for rising leaders “Next Generation of Government Training Summit” from Second Lady Jill Biden to Automattic/Wordpress CEO Matt Mullenwag .
  • Launching the “Lynda for Government” – GovLoop Academy and building 50+ free on-demand courses for government leaders
  • Our staff being asked to speak about GovLoop in conferences from Singapore to Israel to Germany, at associations from OECD in Paris to State Associations in Washington, speaking at agencies from OPM to HUD
  • Rocking the best swag in government from the original “Government Rockstar” t-shirt to dozens upon dozens of variations of stickers, e-cards, lanyards, t-shirts galore.
  • And over time building the largest online community for public sector leaders with 250,000+ government employees where every year tens of thousands of leaders take free online trainings, read hundreds of research guides, learn from each other & innovative companies, share ideas as featured contributors, all in the name of trying to improve public service.

Ten years is a long-time for an entrepreneur and it’s time for me to get back to my entrepreneurial roots and explore new horizons. Starting January 12, 2018, I’m stepping down as President of GovLoop and will be moving into a senior advisor role with GovLoop (and our parent company Granicus).

Don’t worry – I won’t be far and you’ll be in good hands with new GovLoop head Doug Mashkuri who will step in to to run GovLoop day-to-day. The decision is easy for me because of the people who will lead GovLoop forward. Not only is Doug the most compassionate and talented leader I’ve worked with, behind Doug is the best team I’ve ever had the honor to work with – 25 smart, talented individuals that come together as a team to get 1 percent better every day in serving you (our community). And our parent company, Granicus, run by Mark Hynes, is terrific and standing behind us along the way.

At the core as a member, GovLoop will look the same as it does today. Our mission never has and never will change – we are dedicated to connecting government to improve government and will continue to launch new great resources and learning opportunities for public servants.  Yet while our mission never changes, at the same time, change has been the only constant at GovLoop and every year we’ve changed in how we deliver that mission as we continue to test, iterate, and evolve new ways to serve you better, from items like last year’s launch of GovLoop Academy nanocourses, worksheets, and case studies (and we have some great stuff cooking for ‘18 like our GovLoop ambassador program – stay tuned).

It’s been an honor to be part of the journey of GovLoop the last 10 years and there’s a huge list of folks who made GovLoop what it is today. Personally, I’ve changed a lot in 10 years.  I went from never having managed anyone to having managed over 40+ folks across roles.  From never having given a public speech to keynoting for 1,000+ attendees. From being single and living in Florida to married with a great wife and two kids in D.C. The list is too long to possibly thank but from GovDelivery founder Scott Burns who took a shot and invested in me, to both my mentors and my mentees who gave me strength in the journey, to all the current and former members of the GovLoop team that have poured their blood sweat and tears in making GovLoop what it is, to all the GovLoop members who have shared their ideas, spoken at events, or just invested one hour to learn how to make government better…and of course my wife Elizabeth who has been my rock along this journey…I say thank you.

Together as a community we’ve accomplished a ton in 10 years. Personally, I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years for GovLoop has in store.

I’m sure it will be awesome.

-Steve

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16 Comments

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Michele Nissen

You’ve done such a great job Steve! Your years of service and dedication are greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the wisdom and best practices you have shared over the years. Best wishes on your next step!

Gustavo Crosetto

Great job Govloop!!!
A clear voice in the transformation of federal human capital.
Looking forward to a productive 2018.
— Gus

Bob Ainsbury

You should be very proud – not only because of your grit and determination but also because of the truly positive impact you have made. Impact on young entrepreneurs, impact on Government, and, most importantly, impact on me! I can’t wait to see what comes next

Kitty Wooley

Steve, it has been hard to tear my eyes away from your brainchild over the past decade – there was always more to come, and you made your own rulebook rather than assuming that you were bound by anything that had been done before. That meant that there was a high degree of novelty-with-a-purpose. “Well begun is half done” certainly appies here, because your experimentation was strategic, thoughtful, and mutually reinforcing. As GovLoop matured, the videos and leaderboard gave way to blogger recruiting, training in tech and career management, and the Next Generation of Government summits. And you hired well! Here’s wishing you good health, happiness, and fulfillment in the next ten years. Thank you for your service.

Marian Doucette

Thank you for all of the great work you’ve done with GovLoop, Steve. Your inspiration & dedication has made this the “go-to” resource for many Gov-ies! I fondly remember your presentation at the Ontario MISA Conference when you acquainted us with the site, network possibilities, and a resource that has become my daily source of information. Best of luck with your new endeavours.

Cathy Kittle

Steve- Thanks for make such a positive difference for so many people. You helped inspire me to continue my dedication to public service, and (on those inevitable bad days) remember how much we improve the lives of those that depend on us- and that’s something to celebrate and be proud of. GovLoop is AWESOME and I shared tons of resources with my colleagues over the years. You will be missed!

Dr. Jerry Jailall, NC

Much appreciation to Steve who has moulded a strong team and established systems
to sustain GovLoop’s excellent work. Doug, Megan and others would continue the good work.

Jamie Griesbach

Congratulations! You’ve done amazing things for government workers (at all levels) and I appreciate you. Thank you for all you have done and letting me be a part of it.

Susan Milich

Ten years already?? Well, congratulations, Steve. Thanks for all that you have contributed to our community. And best wishes in your new endeavor!

Kimberly Denz

Thank you, Steve, for all you’ve done to build and serve this community! I truly appreciate your efforts and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!