AGL broadens mission, becomes new association: Technologists for the Public Good

Dear fellow practitioners,

We on the Board of the AGL Association are excited to reach out to you, our friends and colleagues, with news of the transition of the organization and what’s ahead.

But first — a moment of reflection on where we’ve been. AGL was started in 2014 as an emergent network of civic professionals who wanted to help bring agile practices to the public sector. The community provided much-needed guidance and resources for government innovators at a time when “agile” and “government” were rarely seen together!

But over the years, things changed. As more practitioners brought modern approaches to government projects, the conversations shifted to include not just agile but human-centered design, capacity building, modular procurement, inclusive and equitable spaces, and beyond.

During this time, AGL grew from a grassroots network into a professional association with membership across all levels of government and the digital services vendor community. Through events, online discussions, and working groups, people shared best practices and supported their peers who were working to modernize tech and processes in the public sector.

Last year, in the midst of a world changed by the pandemic and new ways of working, we took a pause from programming and member activities to reflect on the future of AGL. We spoke to community members and analyzed dozens of conversations to determine the needs of public sector practitioners, and what kind of organization could fulfill them.

Now we are thrilled to invite you to participate in the next phase of our growth, which acknowledges the evolving nature of improving government services in the digital age.

In partnership with Jenn Noinaj, a fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, and with input from our long-standing public sector Board members, we are launching a new organization to power this community: Technologists for the Public Good (TPG).

Learn more about the transition

• Town Hall launch of TPG (video recording)
• Membership interest form
• Visit the TPG website