Virtual event
How to Stay Motivated When Priorities Keep Shifting
Exclusively for public servants and policymakers
Wednesday, Sep 2, 2026
Time is displayed in your local time zone
At this event, you’ll learn how to:
- Protect your focus when priorities keep shifting
- Manage the frustration of constant re-prioritisation
- Keep making progress without complete clarity
Speakers
Priorities shift. Deadlines move. Last month’s targets disappear before you finish them. If you are finding it harder to stay focused and energised right now, you are not alone.
This event will demonstrate ways to keep delivering when your organisation's direction shifts constantly, whether you are leading a team through it or navigating it yourself. You will learn how to protect your focus, manage the frustration of shifting priorities and keep making progress without full clarity on where things are heading.
You will learn from practitioners who have led through organisational shifts themselves and kept their motivation intact. They will share what got them through unpredictable periods, so that you can start tomorrow’s workday with a fresh perspective.
Who should join:
Public servants navigating a reorganisation, restructure or shift in strategic direction, whether leading a team or living it first-hand.
Join the Life in Government Community
The Life in Government Community is a collaborative space designed for Apolitical members to connect with peers in the global public service and ask and answer questions on life in government.
This event will take place on Zoom. Joining instructions will be displayed once you register. The event will be recorded and the recording will be sent to all registrants. The recording will also be made available on Apolitical's platform for other members of our community to enjoy. We may also generate insights about our community members by uploading the recording to HeyMarvin, an AI-powered qualitative research tool. If you would prefer not to join the call live, you may view the recording on the platform after the event.
Interested in how Apolitical can support you and your organisation? Learn about collaborating with us.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Speakers
Stacey Illeleji
Change Management Specialist and Co-Chair of the Interdepartmental Organizational Change Network (IOCN), Government of Canada
Canada
Dom Evans
AI Integration Lead, UK Government
UK
Joseph Castle, PhD
Vice President of Technology Solutions, HumanTouch, LLC
USA
Stacey Illeleji, a transformational leader and Co-Chair of the Interdepartmental Organizational Change Network (IOCN). Since its inception in 2001, the IOCN has empowered public servants to raise their proficiency at integrating change management and mindful leadership principles into public sector operations. The IOCN brings focus to ensuring successful, human-centred change and transformation efforts. Most recently, she led the development of the change management infrastructure that supported over 60 organizations with modernizing a key aspect of the Canadian federal public service’s people management framework. Stacey also co-chairs the Human Resources Council's (HRC) Community Engagement Hub in collaboration with the HRC’s Executive Director. Stacey’s passion for her work is supported by a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Adler University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from Carleton University. She also earned a Prosci Change Management certification.
Dom Evans, the M365 Copilot Team Lead at the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), where he leads the adoption of Microsoft Copilot and AI tools across the department. With a background in policy, strategy and innovation in government, Dom focuses on practical, responsible uses of AI and automation that help civil servants work more efficiently and deliver better outcomes.
Joseph Castle, PhD, a technology executive and public servant with two decades of experience at the intersection of government, policy, and technology, spanning the private and public sectors, including time at The White House. He is currently Vice President of Technology Solutions at HumanTouch, LLC, where he delivers agentic AI solutions to federal agencies. In government, he led the federal open source program office (OSPO) at Code.gov and contributed to the SHARE IT Act. He also ran numerous enterprise and government-wide programs and contributed to federal policy, including M-13-13, M-16-21, and M-24-10. He was recently appointed by the Maryland Governor to the Council for Open Data and advises the state’s Chief Data Officer and Comptroller on data and AI. Castle is a U.S. Army veteran of the 10th Mountain Division and an international speaker on public sector technology.
