About
GovFresh was founded by Luke Fretwell in May 2009 and works to inspire government-citizen collaboration and build a more engaged democracy. We feature public servant innovators, civic entrepreneurs and the ideas and technology that are changing how government works.
It’s work has been recognized in Fast Company, Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, TechPresident, among others.
What they say
“Its very name may sound like an oxymoron, but through great reporting and opinion pieces, GovFresh adds a little “coolness” to the Gov tech space. Hurdles to innovation in government are high. It is vital that govvies and techhies alike feel that someone is watching — both for accountability and to know that heroic efforts will be recognized. GovFresh serves that important role and has no doubt contributed to the enormous Gov 2.0 strides of the past few years.”
- Marci Harris, CEO, POPVOX
“GovFresh has been instrumental in highlighting progress in the opengov community. At Phase2, we see GovFresh as a place where government technologists can share their experience and encourage adoption of open source tools to advance open gov at all levels.”
- Jeff Walpole, CEO, Phase2 Technology
“GovFresh earns its name … focuses on compelling projects and people making an impact in government and civic engagement with a flair for technology, innovation and collaboration. If you’re interested in the confluence of entrepreneurialism and open government this is a great place to wade in.”
- Deb Bryant, Public Sector Communities Manager, Oregon State University Open Source Lab
“GovFresh has been a Friend of CityCamp from the beginning. The combination of Gov 2.0 content, GovFresh style and Web site hosting has been perfect for CityCamp’s Web presence. The Open Source Brand that I developed with GovFresh is a catalyst in the adoption of CityCamps all over the world.”
- Kevin Curry, Founder, CityCamp
“GovFresh is the best source for the latest news about what’s going on in the world of open government and Gov 2.0. Take your vitamins, say your prayers, read you some GovFresh.”
- Mark J. Headd, Developer Evangelist, Voxeo Labs
“GovFresh is the hub of Gov2.0 in-the-know and is where new talent is showcased and cutting edge ideas shared.”
- Leigh Budlong, Founder/CEO, Zonability
Accomplishments
- Organized first major metropolitan open government mayoral forum SFOpen 2011 (with Brian Purchia).
- Founded monthly San Francisco civic tech meet-up Third Thursdays SF with Gov 2.0 Radio founder and host Adriel Hampton.
- Launched gov20.govfresh powered by Gov 2.0 expert and journalist Alex Howard.
- Designed CityCamp brand and WordPress theme and worked with founder Kevin Curry to make it an open source brand.
- Serve as Web host for CityCamp, CityCamp San Francisco, CityCamp London, CityCamp Colorado, CityCamp Edmonton and Third Thursdays SF.
- Helped makeover the City of DeLeon, TX.
- manor.govfresh with City of Manor, TX.
- sf.govfresh with Adobe Government.
- Founded Gov 2.0 Hero Day.
- Created free government WordPress theme.
- Helped the City of Manor, TX, launch its first open source Website.
- Logo/branding and/or Web design for CityCamp, Gov 2.0 Radio, OpenGov West, GovTwit.
