Hosted by
StarbridgeMeet innovative government & education leaders making AI work for the public.
Where AI-forward public- and private-sector leaders gather.
New York, July 21-22
Join the most innovative government leaders, educators, companies, and investors
Join 400+ city and county managers, superintendents, CIOs, founders and investors, from around the U.S.
Who attends
Industry & attendee breakdown
Meet mayors, CIOs, presidents, provosts and superintendents, alongside the private-sector leaders building the fastest-moving AI companies.
Speakers
Hear from public leaders shaping the future of AI for public good
Public-sector leader
Government
Steve Adler
Former Mayor, City of Austin
Established the city of Austin as a startup capital. Steve now works with cities and mayors worldwide to build stronger futures.
Public-sector leader
Higher education
Dr. Justin H. Lonon
Chancellor, Dallas College
Leads one of the nation’s largest community colleges at a pivotal moment in its history.
Public-sector leader
K-12
Dewayne McClary
Deputy Superintendent of Innovation & Student Pathways, Virginia DOE
Leads statewide efforts to improve student outcomes through district partnerships, operations, leadership, and technology adoption.
Enterprise CEO
Government
Zac Bookman,
CEO/Founder, OpenGov
Founded OpenGov, the leader in AI-enabled software serving 2,000 cities, counties, state agencies, school districts, and special districts across the United States.
Enterprise CEO
K-12
Adeel Khan
CEO/Founder, MagicSchool
Founded one of the fastest-growing AI platforms for educators, helping schools responsibly adopt AI to save teachers time and improve classroom outcomes.
Public-sector leader
Government
Andrew Ngui
Chief Digital Officer, Kansas City
Leads technology strategy and the modernization of digital services for Kansas City.
Speakers
The biggest public sector names are speaking at BRIDGES
Public-sector leader
K-12
Dr. Patrick Gittisriboongul Ed.D
Superintendent, Lynwood
Public-sector leaders
Public-sector leader
Government
Brian Pillmore
Mayor, Yukon
Public-sector leader
K-12
Amanda Lanicek
CTO, Springtown ISD
Public-sector leader
K-12
Kris Hagel
CIO, Peninsula School District
Public-sector leader
Higher education
Carrie Pitts-Densmore
VP Enrollment, Johnston Community College
Public-sector leader
Government
Bob Henderson
Director of IT, Cass County
Public-sector leader
K-12
Wes Kriesel
AI Education Lead,
Orange County
Public-sector leader
Government
Viggo Forde
CIO, Snohomish County
Public-sector leader
K-12
Daniel Friedman
Director of Technology, Hicksville
Public-sector leader
Government
Andrew Ngui
CAIO, Kansas City
Public-sector leader
Government
Jesse Marks
Director of Operations & Cabinet Affairs, Colorado
Public-sector leader
K-12
Chris Bell
Exec Director Technology, Huntington Beach
Public-sector leader
Higher education
Dr. Sadique Isahaku
Vice Provost, Milwaukee Area Technical College
Public-sector leader
Government
Dave Solaro
Assistant County Manager, Washoe County
Public-sector leader
K-12
Dr. Kip Glazer
Principal, Mountain View High School
Public-sector leader
Government
Dr. Peter Pirnejad
Director, Davenport Institute
Public-sector leader
Government
Steven Carter
City Manager, Portsmouth
Public-sector leader
K-12
Mike Lawrence
Director of IT, ABC Unified School District
Public-sector leader
K-12
Roberto Vargas
Managing Director of IT, Distinctive Schools
Enterprise CEOs
Enterprise CEO
Higher Ed
John Katzman
CEO, Noodle
Enterprise CEO
K-12
Adeel Khan
Founder & CEO, MagicSchool
Enterprise CEO
Government
Tom Spengler
CEO, SOVRA
Enterprise CEO
Government
Zac Bookman
CEO, OpenGov
Enterprise CEO
Government
Dustin Haisler
CAIO, Darwin AI
Enterprise CEO
Government
Erica Olsen
CEO, Madison AI
Enterprise CEO
Government
Anthony Jamison
CEO, CivStart
Enterprise CEO
Government
Shannon Beckham
CEO, Chief AI
Enterprise CEO
K-12
Jacob Kantor
CEO, JK K12
Investor
Government
Rachel Stern
Founder, GovTech Ventures
Investor
Higher education + K-12
Amit Patel
Founder, Owl Ventures
Investor
Government
Harrison Marks
Investor, Commonweal
Investors & Associations
Public-sector leader
K-12
Jenn Womble
Chair, FETC
Sponsors
Trusted by the world's leading gov & edtech companies
Sponsorships here won't feel like sponsorships: they'll feel like the reason people came. That's what we're building.
Get live feedback from industry leaders. Grow your brand. And reach the right audience.
Registration
Be the first to know when tickets are released.
Agenda-at-a-glance
2 days. 3 tracks. 100% tactical content.
Day 1
Day 2
8:00-9:00 am
Registration & breakfast
8:30–4:30 pm
Expo hall open
9:00-9:30 am
Mainstage welcome
9:45–12:30 am
Concurrent sessions
& networking
12:30–2:00 pm
Keynote: founder stories & networking lunch
2:00-2:15 pm
Networking
2:15–3:30 pm
Interactive AI hackathon
Live challenge roundtables: agencies put real problems in front
of vendors
The BRIDGES cup: pitch competition
3:30–5:00 pm
Happy hour reception
8:00-9:00 am
Networking breakfast
9:00–3:30 pm
Expo hall open
9:00-10:00 am
Public & Private sectors executive forums
10:00-10:30 am
Welcome and opening remarks
10:30–12:30 pm
Concurrent sessions
& networking
12:30–1:30 pm
Keynote: founder stories & networking lunch
1:30–3:30 pm
Concurrent sessions
& networking
3:30–3:45 pm
Snack & coffee break
3:45–4:30 pm
Closing remarks
Agenda Highlights: 9 Sessions That Will Change How You Operate
Government
1:45-2:30 pm
Governments Turning AI into Real Outcomes — and What Sets Them Apart
Most local-government AI coverage either overhypes pilots or dismisses progress entirely. Hear from city and county leaders who have moved into deployed systems: what they prioritized and where they had challenges.
Speakers
Viggo Forde
CIO, Snohomish County
Madi Rogers
CIO, South Bend
Anthony Fisher
Data Governance Program Manager, State of Colorado
2:15-3:30 pm
Live Challenges: Agencies Put Real Problems in Front of Vendors and Peers
A workshop block built around real, named challenges that governments are wrestling with right now. Each table is anchored by an agency leader who frames a specific problem; vendors join to pressure-test scope & propose moves.
Speakers
Chris Lee
CIO, Lewisville, TX
Dr. Justin Lonon
Chancellor, Dallas College
Nick Lyell
COO, CivStart
11:45-12:30 pm
The State of GovTech: 2026 Government Investment Outlook
Explore the current state of the GovTech market, including key trends, investment activity, and emerging technologies. Hear from industry investors and researchers on the opportunities and challenges facing government agencies.
Speakers
Dustin Haisler
CEO, Darwin AI
Harrison Marks
Founder, Commonweal Ventures
Rachel Stern
Founder, GovTech Ventures
Education
10:45-11:30 am
AI Agents in the Classroom & on Campus
Everyone’s talking about agents. Who’s actually running them? Three practitioners share how K-12 and higher-ed teams are deploying AI agents across instruction, advising, operations, and student support.
Speakers
Kris Hagel
CIO, Peninsula School District
Dr. Sadique Isahaku
Vice Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Milwaukee Area Technical College
11:45-12:30 pm
Build, Buy, or Partner: How AI Is Rewriting the Decision
AI has cratered the cost of building software. Hear from K-12 and higher ed operators on how they’re thinking about the new economics of the build vs buy vs partner decision.
Speakers
Chris Bell
Executive Director of Technology Services, Huntington Beach School District
Daniel Friedman
Director of Technology, Hicksville Union Free School District, NY
Wesley Lombardo
Director of Technology, An East Tennessee Public School System
11:45-12:30 pm
The State of Edtech: 2026 Education Investment Outlook
EdTech market commentary swings between exuberance and dismissal, and neither view helps anyone make a decision. This fireside chat gives a candid read on where real traction is showing up and where attention is exceeding adoption.
Speakers
John Katzman
CEO, Noodle
Ben Kornell
Advisor,
Edtech Insiders
Amit Patel
Co-founder,
Owl Ventures
Jennifer Womble
Chair, FETC
Executive
10:45-11:30 am
Public Sector GTM Engineering in the Era of AI - Learn from The Best
What building a GTME function looks like when you sell to vertical SaaS. Hear from practitioners on what is working vs what’s stale when it comes to building scalable growth models for state/local government, K-12, and higher education.
Speakers
Justin Wenig
Founder & CEO, Starbridge
Jenn Jiao
CMO, Starbridge
2:45-3:30 pm
Raising Capital & Scaling GTM From Gov & Edtech Founders
Distribution used to be the moat. Implementation used to be the moat. Now AI compresses both. This session pressure-tests the new sources of defensibility and what founders should be building toward in the next 18 months.
Speakers
Zac Bookman
Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus, OpenGov
Justin Wenig
Founder & CEO, Starbridge
Arman Jaffer
CEO/Founder, Brisk Teaching
9:00-10:00 am
CXO Summit Forum
Exec Summit Forum is an exclusive gathering of executive leaders focused on shaping the future of business through collaboration and thought leadership. Attendees share best practices, and build valuable connections across industries.
Speakers
Justin Wenig
Founder & CEO, Starbridge
Eyal Feder-Levy
Founder & CEO, ZenCity
Full agenda
Location & travel
Location
BRIDGES will take place at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s west side overlooking the Hudson River.
Hotel & travel
We recommend staying in Hudson Yards, Chelsea, or the Meatpacking District - all within a short ride of the venue. We will also have a hotel block available to attendees closer to the date.
Things to do
Walk the High Line, visit Hudson Yards, or grab dinner in the West Village - all minutes from the venue. The perfect spots for post-conference meetups!
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FAQ
Any questions?
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We got you.
Still have questions, contact us at
events@starbridge.aiWhat is BRIDGES?
BRIDGES is a conference for AI-forward public- and private-sector leaders. Hosted by Starbridge, it brings together government officials, education administrators, enterprise executives, and investors for two days of programming centered on real-world AI adoption in the public sector.
The conference is built around one core premise: the most important conversations about AI in government and education aren’t happening between technologists, they’re happening between the people responsible for actually implementing it. BRIDGES creates the room for those conversations.
The conference is built around one core premise: the most important conversations about AI in government and education aren’t happening between technologists, they’re happening between the people responsible for actually implementing it. BRIDGES creates the room for those conversations.
How do I register for the conference and what is included in the registration fee?
Register for the conference via the ''Save Your Spot' button at the top right of the page. The registration fee includes full access to two-days of collaborative workshops.
Who should attend BRIDGES?
BRIDGES is designed for government leaders: City and county admins, mayors, CIOs; K-12 leaders: superintendents, CTOs, CIOs; and higher ed leaders: chancellors, presidents, provosts and CIOs.
Alongside private sector CEOs/founders building for the public sector.
Alongside private sector CEOs/founders building for the public sector.
Who puts on BRIDGES?
BRIDGES is hosted by Starbridge, an AI platform built for public-sector teams with a mission to make it easier for businesses to engage with the public sector. BRIDGES is an extension of that mission, a convening of the leaders who are doing this work in the real world.
How big will BRIDGES be?
We’re targeting 1,000+ attendees across three verticals: state and local government, k-12, and higher ed. The goal is to have a 50/50 split within each vertical between public and private sector leaders.
I'm a revenue leader. Is BRIDGES for me?
100%. The corporate attendee experience at BRIDGES is specifically designed to be high-value:
The “Meet Your AI Match” program gives vendors and solution providers structured, vetted access to public-sector leaders who are actively evaluating tools.
Instead of having endless panels/presentations, the majority of our agenda will be centered on workshops and roundtables, all opportunities to engage in authentic conversations.
Founders get unfiltered feedback from the buyers they’re trying to reach and the chance to position their work in front of a highly qualified audience.
In addition, Starbridge will be hosting exclusive GTM insider sessions.
The Corporate pass is priced accordingly and includes full access to all two days of programming.
The “Meet Your AI Match” program gives vendors and solution providers structured, vetted access to public-sector leaders who are actively evaluating tools.
Instead of having endless panels/presentations, the majority of our agenda will be centered on workshops and roundtables, all opportunities to engage in authentic conversations.
Founders get unfiltered feedback from the buyers they’re trying to reach and the chance to position their work in front of a highly qualified audience.
In addition, Starbridge will be hosting exclusive GTM insider sessions.
The Corporate pass is priced accordingly and includes full access to all two days of programming.