Starbridge

Meet innovative government & education leaders making AI work for the public.

Where AI-forward public- and private-sector leaders gather.

New York, July 21-22

Who attends

Industry & attendee breakdown

Meet mayors, CIOs, presidents, provosts and superintendents, alongside the private-sector leaders building the fastest-moving AI companies.

Local & state government (33%)
K-12 (33%)
Higher Ed (33%)
Public
sector
County and City managers/administrators, clerks, and CIOs.
Superintendents,
CIOs,
Principals.
Presidents,
Provosts,
CIOs.
Private
sector
CEOs/founder,
Sales leaders,
product leaders.
CEOs/founder,
Sales leaders,
product leaders.
CEOs/founder,
Sales leaders,
product leaders.

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

Patrick Gittisriboongul
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

Sadique Isahaku
Vice Provost, Milwaukee Area Technical College

Public-sector leader

Government

Dave Solaro
Assistant County Manager, Washoe County

Public-sector leader

K-12

Kip Glazer
Principal, Mountain View High School

Public-sector leader

Government

Peter Pirnejad
Director, Davenport Institute

Public-sector leader

K-12

Julia Fallon
Exec Director, SETDA

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, CivStarts

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.

Download the Sponsor Prospectus

Registration

Agencies & Schools
For government and/or education leaders deploying and/or exploring AI in their local agency.
This pass includes:
  • Full conference access, all 2 days
  • Participate in small-group roundtables & interactive workshops.
  • Full access to the AI expo hall & vendor demos.
  • Connect with public- and private-sector leaders.
$299
$199
Register now & save up to $100
Select this pass
Corporate
For private-sector leaders building AI solutions to improve the public sector.
This pass includes:
  • Full conference access, all 2 days
  • Access to AI expo hall
  • Participate in roundtables, built for authentic conversations with public-sector partners
  • Starbridge GTM insider sessions
  • Connect with investors & peers.
$2299
$1299
Register now & save up to $1000
Select this pass

Be the first to know when tickets are released.

Agenda At-A-Glance

2 days. 3 tracks. 100% tactical content.

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Plenary & Networking
8–9am Registration & Breakfast
9–9:30am Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:30–10:20am Workshop Sessions #1
10:30am–4:30pm AI Expo Hall Opens
10:30–11:20am Workshop Sessions #2
11:30am–12:30pm Workshop Sessions #3
12:30–1:30pm Bridge the Gap: Networking Lunch
1:30–2:20pm Workshop Sessions #4
2:30–3pm The BRIDGES Cup: Pitch Competition
3:30–5pm Happy Hour
Government
9:30–10:20am Keynote

Governments That Are Shipping AI — and What They Do Differently

10:30–11:20am Panel

From Principles to Production: Scaling AI Inside a Government Agency

11:30am–12:30pm Fireside Chat

What Government Buyers Wish Every Vendor Knew (and Won't Say on a Call)

Education
9:30–10:20am Keynote

Tutor, Tool, or Threat? The Honest Case for AI in School

10:30–11:20am Panel

AI Agents in the Classroom

11:30am–12:30pm Panel + EXEC

Build, Buy, or Partner: How AI Is Rewriting the Decision

Executive
9:30–10:20am Keynote

AI Killed the Old Moats. What Replaces Them in GovTech and EdTech?

10:30–11:20am Roundtable

The GTM AI Stack: What's Actually Moving Pipeline (Live Teardown)

11:30am–12:30pm Panel

What Working Public-Private AI Partnerships Have in Common

Plenary & Networking
8–9am Public Sector Exec Forum
9–9:30am Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:30–10:20am Workshop Sessions #5
10:30am–4:30pm AI Expo Hall Opens
10:30–11:20am Workshop Sessions #6
11:30am–12:30pm Workshop Sessions #7
12:30–1:30pm Bridge the Gap: Networking Lunch
2:15–3:05pm Live Challenges: Agencies Put Real Problems in Front of Vendors Roundtables
3:10–4:30pm Closing Remarks + Farewell Networking
Government
9:30–10:20am Roundtable

Failing Forward: What We Tried, What Broke, and What We Learned

10:30–11:20am Fireside Chat

The State of GovTech

11:30am–12:30pm Panel

Before the RFP: How Government Can Better Define Priorities

Education
9:30–10:20am Panel

The New CIO Mandate in the AI Era

10:30–11:20am Fireside Chat

The State of Edtech

11:30am–12:30pm Fireside Chat

District Tech, Up Close: Two Case Studies From Decision to Outcome

Executive
9:30–10:20am Workshop

Is Outbound Dead? GTM Strategy for Public-Sector Vendors in the AI Era

10:30–11:20am Panel

Pricing, Hiring, and Burn: What GovTech & EdTech CEOs Are Getting Wrong in 2026

11:30am–12:30pm Roundtable

Founders Forum: A Closed-Door Roundtable for GovTech & EdTech CEOs

Full agenda coming soon…

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!

FAQ

Any questions?
We got you.
Still have questions, contact us at
events@starbridge.ai
What 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.
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.
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.