Every year, the Granicus Digital Government Awards spotlight the leaders transforming public service through courage, creativity, and a relentless focus on community impact. The “Changemaker” award recognizes individuals who reshape what’s possible for digital government.
This year, we honor three exceptional public servants whose work has strengthened trust, expanded access, and modernized the resident experience. Meet India Mitchell (Clayton County, GA), Jon Zaghloul (City of Aurora, IL), and Crystal Sprague (Unified Government of Wyandotte County & Kansas City, KS).
Their stories show that meaningful change is built through intention, collaboration, and a commitment to people-first innovation.
Why they won
India Mitchell — Clayton County, GA
As described by Luke Norris, vice president of platform strategy and digital transformation at Granicus, “India Mitchell turned open records from a compliance obligation into a true culture of transparency. By pairing countywide custodian training with a disciplined records request management workflow, she delivered faster, more consistent responses and set a durable standard residents can trust.”
Mitchell modernized the county’s open records operations through consistent usage of records request management tools — improving tracking, timeliness, and collaboration across departments. She introduced mandatory open records training for all custodians and launched an advanced “Deep Dive” program to improve complex request handling.
Mitchell elevated transparency into an organizational value — investing equally in people and processes to bring clarity, consistency, and confidence across Clayton County. The result? Quicker responses and a more open, accountable relationship with the community.
“Being a Changemaker in digital government means reframing legal compliance as public service and embedding transparency into the culture of Clayton County so public trust can flourish, and my goal is to make government transparency practical, consistent, and accessible,” Mitchell said. “By aligning organizational culture, training every records custodian, and strategically leveraging [Granicus’ Records Request Management solution], we have built a more efficient, accountable, and service-oriented open government program that brings clarity and confidence to our community.”
Jon Zaghloul — City of Aurora, IL
“Jon Zaghloul led a citywide leap forward,” explained Norris. “It unified Aurora’s website, engagement hub, and communications into one connected resident experience that feels modern, intuitive, and welcoming.”
In just 13 months, Zaghloul deployed a modernized city website, built out the city’s “Your Voice” platform that hosts more than 50 projects, and introduced the city’s first weekly newsletter — now reaching more than 115,000 subscribers. He also created engagement pages with innovative Q&A workflows that helped reshape citywide communication.
“As the City of Aurora’s Communications Manager, my ultimate objective is to serve our residents, making all lines of communication and engagement as accessible as possible,” he said. “By working closely with Granicus, the city’s Information Technology Department, and the city’s Communications and Marketing Department, we were able to truly change the game for our community members, amplifying their voices while establishing a more streamlined communications process.”
Zaghloul has become a model for peer municipalities by championing a holistic vision for digital government: one ecosystem, one user experience, one truly accessible gateway to city services. By replacing fragmented tools with a seamless, cohesive platform, he created channels that amplify resident voice, strengthen accountability, and foster real connection. His work proves that thoughtful innovation isn’t about technology alone — it’s about building trust through a citizen-centric design.
Crystal Sprague — Unified Government of Wyandotte County & Kansas City, KS
“Crystal Sprague treated AI as a service strategy, not a shortcut — and her leadership shows what responsible, people‑first innovation truly looks like,” explained Norris.
As director of performance and innovation, Sprague led a comprehensive change management effort across departments so staff could curate high‑quality information, build governance structures, and test AI capabilities in a safe, thoughtful way. She led the launch of Government Experience Agent (GXA) with an unwavering commitment to accuracy, equity, and community trust.
Through cross‑department collaboration, rigorous testing, and measurable safeguards, she ensured the AI-enabled front door was reliable, multilingual, and truly resident-centered. Her vision frees staff to focus on high‑value work while expanding access for thousands.
“People at their core are the same. They can be fearful, and that fearfulness can put up barriers to being open to taking risks on their own,” Sprague said. “What you can do is give them the information and the trust to choose to make the risky choice. And when they make that risky choice, make sure that you’re illuminating how well it’s paying off, even if it’s paying off a little bit at a time.”
Insights and trends from cheer-worthy changer leaders
Change is built, not announced
Breakthroughs came from leaders who treated transformation as a disciplined practice. They set clear goals, defined ownership, built governance, and made learning part of the process — ensuring change sticks long after go‑live.
People + process + tech
This year’s winners share a common pattern: they prepared teams before they deployed tools. Training, workflows, templates, and content standards laid the foundation; technology amplified those good habits.
Transparency and standardization
Public clarity — policies, timelines, status pages, FAQs — consistently reduced confusion and built credibility. Internally, transparency through dashboards, SLAs, and shared language aligned teams and boosted decision-making confidence.
Standard templates and routing rules helped teams meet rising demand with smarter, repeatable steps — reducing cycle times without sacrificing quality.
Responsible AI = governance + content quality
AI’s early wins came where leaders paired strong governance and curated content with clear service objectives. The most successful implementations empowered employees instead of replacing them.
The “Changemaker” award recipients remind us that digital transformation isn’t just a technical journey — it’s a human one. Mitchell, Zaghloul, and Sprague each built systems that strengthen trust, expand access, and elevate public service for the communities they serve. Their leadership demonstrates what happens when innovation is guided by operational integrity and a deep respect for residents.
Learn more about all the winners of this year’s Digital Government Awards.
