Virtual event
50 States, 50 Breakthroughs: Projects Reshaping Government Across the U.S.
In partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration & Humans of Public Service
Thursday, Feb 12, 2026
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Speakers
Explore the full list
- Dive into all 50 innovation case studies to gain inspiration for what's possible in government
What to do next
- Catch up on the 10-minute highlights above, or dive into the full recording
Resources
Join the Government Innovation Community
The Government Innovation Community is a space to inspire members around the world to explore new ideas and find better ways of delivering public services to citizens.
Event Description
Public sector innovation is a global effort — and in the United States, civil servants are applying it to some of the country’s most pressing issues.
Governments in every U.S. state are testing new ways to design policy and deliver services in response to challenges like workforce shortages, rising energy costs and housing instability. These projects show how states, territories, cities, counties and tribal governments are moving beyond fragmented systems to build coordinated, user-centered solutions. Together, they offer concrete lessons on how the public sector can use shared infrastructure and partnerships to move beyond constraints and create models others can adapt to their own contexts.
In collaboration with the National Academy of Public Administration and Humans of Public Service, we’ll present the ‘50 States, 50 Breakthroughs List’ — some of the most promising and unexpected public sector innovations currently unfolding across the U.S. Civil servants featured on the list will share how their projects came to life, what they’ve learned and how their approaches can be applied in your own work.
Interested in how Apolitical can support you and your organisation? Learn about collaborating with us.
Image credit: unsplash
Speakers
Cori Zarek
VP, North America, Apolitical
United States
James-Christian Blockwood
President and CEO, National Academy of Public Administration
United States
Brian Whittaker
Founder, Humans of Public Service
United States
Manali Mohanty
Senior Digital Service Expert, Colorado Digital Service
United States
Nathan Rankin
Director, Office of Education and Workforce Statistics, Alabama Department of Workforce
United States
Isabel McDevitt
Executive Director of Community Wellness and Recovery, City of Philadelphia, United States
United States
Cori Zarek, Vice President for North America at Apolitical, is expanding the world’s largest network of public servants to give more North Americans access to peer learning communities, events, courses, and tools to get smarter on on key topics including digital and AI, energy and climate, and building governments that are fit for the future. Before joining Apolitical, Cori spent more than two decades working within and alongside government institutions. Cori’s career of public service includes serving as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Digital Service and Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer both at the White House, and as a staff attorney for the U.S. National Archives.
James-Christian Blockwood, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Academy of Public Administration, was appointed in January 2025. The Academy is a congressionally chartered nonpartisan, nonprofit that helps leaders build more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organisations. Most recently he was Executive Vice President at the Partnership for Public Service where he helped with overall strategy and management of the organisation, and oversaw its programs dedicated to improving the federal government. He is a former career member of the Senior Executive Service in the U.S. Government and has broad experience in leadership and management, strategic planning, intelligence, national security and foreign affairs. He has helped transform and build new capabilities at the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs as well as the Government Accountability Office. He is also an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He has earned degrees in Government, Business Administration, Strategic Intelligence, and International Relations.
