Modern Gov Matters
Claim This Podcastby CivAll
Podcast Overview
<p>Modern Gov Matters is a podcast for civic engagement and communications professionals in local government. Host Sarah Loyd sits down with practitioners from cities and counties nationwide to talk about what's actually working (and what's not) in their communities. Real stories, honest takes, practical insights. New episodes every other week. Presented by CivAll.</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
2/11/2026
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Recent Episodes
August 6, 2026
Building Engagement from the Inside Out with Renae Jackson
<p>What if the key to better community engagement isn't a new platform or campaign - it's your own employees? Renae Jackson, Equity and Engagement Director for the City of Decatur, Georgia, makes the case that internal engagement isn't a nice-to-have. It's the foundation everything else is built on.</p><p></p><p>Renae has been with the city since 2007, moving from a one-person communications shop to leading a division built around three pillars: communications, equity, and employee and community engagement. In this episode, she gets honest about what's working, what's still a challenge, and why she tells elected officials that "community" always means internal and external.</p><p></p><p><b>In this episode:</b></p><ul><li>Why employees are a city's most powerful ambassadors - and what breaks down when they're not engaged</li><li>How Renae made the case to leadership for growing her team (hint: she showed her work)</li><li>The ongoing challenge of internal communications - even in organizations that believe engagement is everyone's job</li><li>What Decatur's re-energized volunteer engagement looks like post-COVID</li><li>The FIFA World Cup watch party series proving that yes, government can be fun</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources & Links:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.decaturga.com" target="_blank">City of Decatur, Georgia</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.decaturga.com/cd/page/decatur-101" target="_blank">Decatur 101 Citizen Academy</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://civall.com" target="_blank">CivAll</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://socialnewsdesk.com" target="_blank">Social News Desk</a></li></ul><hr /><p><i>Modern Gov Matters is presented by CivAll, powered by Social News Desk.</i></p><p>For more episodes, visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://moderngovmatters.com" target="_blank">Modern Gov Matters</a>.</p>
July 23, 2026
Earning Trust in Law Enforcement Comms with Shea Haney
<p>When Shea Haney stepped into the PIO role at the Adams County Sheriff's Office eight months ago, he came from patrol - not a newsroom. No communications background, just a career spent in the jail, detectives, an FBI task force, and the road. In this episode, Shea talks about what it's really like to learn government communications from scratch while leading a team, building trust with humble cops who don't want the spotlight, and yes - accidentally going viral.</p><p></p><p>Law enforcement communications carries a unique weight. Every post, every press release, every moment of silence is scrutinized. Shea shares how ACSO is navigating that pressure by breaking their own news, staying in their lane as communicators rather than influencers, and finding the occasional moment of levity that reminds the community there are humans behind the badge.</p><p></p><p><b>In this episode:</b></p><ul><li>How ACSO is telling its own story directly to the public - before the media does</li><li>Why the traditional news release still has a place, even in a social-first world</li><li>The Afroman video: how a team collaboration, a Colorado flag, and 30 seconds of humor turned a PR headache into a million-view moment</li><li>The real challenge of reaching younger audiences without chasing trends or sacrificing credibility</li><li>What it takes to earn trust from deputies who do good work quietly -and don't want the recognition</li><li>Shea's advice for anyone just starting out: go slow, learn your agency's messaging, and support it</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources & Links:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://adamssheriffco.gov" target="_blank">Adams County Sheriff's Office</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://civall.com" target="_blank">CivAll</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://socialnewsdesk.com" target="_blank">Social News Desk</a></li></ul><p></p><hr /><p><i>Modern Gov Matters is presented by CivAll, powered by Social News Desk.</i></p><p><i>For more episodes, visit </i><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://moderngovmatters.com" target="_blank"><i>Modern Gov Matters</i></a><i>.</i></p>
July 9, 2026
The Infrastructure of Trust with Will Hampton
<p>Will Hampton spent 24 years building one of the most award-winning municipal communications shops in Texas - earning resident satisfaction ratings nearly twice the national average - before walking away to help other local governments do the same. Now a consultant, speaker, and writer behind the Good Government Files newsletter, Will has reverse-engineered what actually made Round Rock work and turned it into a repeatable framework.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Will walks through his 5 Elements of High Performance Communications, makes the case that trust is infrastructure (not a soft concept), and gets honest about what most cities are still getting wrong.</p><p></p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>Why Will argues you can only govern as well as you can persuade - and what that means for how cities should think about trust</li><li>The 5 Elements of High Performance Communications: what they are, how they work together, and which one most organizations are missing</li><li>Why listening - not just broadcasting - is the keystone of citizen engagement, and what intentional listening actually looks like</li><li>How the communicator's seat at the table is really the citizen's seat at the table</li><li>The shift toward in-person engagement and why real conversations don't happen at a city council meeting - they happen at HEB on a Saturday morning</li><li>Why over-reacting to naysayers and trolls on social media is one of the most persistent mistakes in local government communications</li><li>Learning to say no: what good prioritization looks like in a comms shop, and how data can give you the permission to do it</li></ul><p></p><p>Resources & Links</p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://willhampton.substack.com" target="_blank">Good Government Files Newsletter</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.hamptonpublic.com" target="_blank">Hampton Public</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/whampton" target="_blank">Will Hampton on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://civall.com/" target="_blank">CivAll</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://socialnewsdesk.com/" target="_blank">Social News Desk</a></li></ul><p></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://moderngovmatters.com/" target="_blank">Modern Gov Matters</a> is presented by <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://civall.com/" target="_blank">CivAll</a>, powered by <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://socialnewsdesk.com/" target="_blank">Social News Desk</a>.</p>
14 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Modern Gov Matters?
<p>Modern Gov Matters is a podcast for civic engagement and communications professionals in local government. Host Sarah Loyd sits down with practitioners from cities and counties nationwide to talk about what's actually working (and what's not) in their communities. Real stories, honest takes, practical insights. New episodes every other week. Presented by CivAll.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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