The first cohort of the Granicus Culture Ambassador Program united innovative leaders at all levels of Granicus around a common goal: nurturing a healthy workplace culture in a highly remote environment.
We are thrilled to highlight and introduce you to our first cohort of Granicus Culture Ambassadors and Advisers — the brilliant minds steering this transformative endeavor. They collaborate with each other and their teams using incremental innovation as a guiding framework. This group focused on championing engaging communications that unite our global community and implementing those best practices that could be scaled companywide.
Meet the exceptional individuals and advisers in this cohort.
Manager of Implementation, GovQA
Heather Poe is a Manager of Implementation with the GovQA team. She grew up in Denver, CO – but she is currently based in Fayetteville, AR. In addition to managing 7 implementation consultants, she is also the manager sponsor for GovQA state implementation projects. Heather has been working in software and technical support for over 20 years. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and an M.A. in Communications Technology and Adult Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, she loves to garden, watch baseball with her husband and spend time with her 6 adorable grandchildren.
Platform Delivery Coordinator
Angie Tilley came to Granicus as Platform Delivery Coordinator with the acquisition of Bang the Table. She thrived as Manager of Office and Administrative Operations for Bang the Table U.S. and Canada. Before transitioning into the world of technology, Angie was a Litigation Paralegal for more than 15 years where she cultivated her meticulous eye for detail and problem-solving. She is an accomplished artist and entrepreneur and has successfully launched 2 businesses in the arts and entertainment industry. She fulfills her passion by hosting creative events for town festivals, corporate gatherings and private parties. In addition to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Angie enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking and immersing herself in nature.
HR Business Partner
Saritha is an HR Partner based in Canada, the city of Brampton, and supports Products and CFO teams in the U.S. Before this, she contributed to building critical talent and establishing HR and branding initiatives for Granicus India. Her previous career stints have been with companies like IBM, Standard Chartered Bank and Coforge. Saritha is driven and committed to the fact that her role creates possibilities to thoughtfully bring people, performance and processes together. She is a recipient of the Granicus “Stronger through Inclusivity” award.
Senior Implementation Consultant
Nadine de Thomaz is a Senior Implementation Consultant with the govDelivery team and has 15 years of experience in the public sector. Before joining Granicus almost 3 years ago, she worked for the Swiss Ministry of Health leading a team responsible for updating policies and engaging with citizens. She has a master’s degree in Swiss law and is passionate about democracy. Being able to help clients improve their ability to engage with their citizens and make better-informed decisions is what motivates her work. Nadine lives in the beautiful woods of Ontario, Canada, with her wife, Ségolène, and their dog, Naiko.
Manager, Sales Enablement
Kevin Jackson is a sales enablement professional from Riverview, Florida, with 10+ years of experience in developing training content targeted at helping sellers improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their revenue-generating activities. Kevin joined Granicus in January 2022, through the GovQA acquisition. During his first year, Kevin helped in creating and launching a 12-week onboarding program that provided a structured schedule for new sellers. Kevin has a small barbeque business. He also enjoys traveling, loves the beach and considers himself a forever student.
Manager, Customer Success
Karen Steel weaves storytelling throughout her career. She worked as a reporter and newspaper editor for 9 years before moving 125 miles to help Stoke-on-Trent City Council to own its own narrative as digital manager and played a key part in the council’s online transformation, completely rebuilding the authority’s website. Since joining Granicus in 2020, Karen has developed the UK’s customer success methodology. Holding space for customers to tell their own story through compassionate questioning of pre-existing ways of working and thinking is a key driver for Karen, who is passionate about helping younger women to translate the professional landscape.
Director, Sales
Dean Townsend is the Sales Director responsible for SMG local sales across the Eastern/Southern U.S. He joined Granicus in 2022 with 25+ years of sales leadership experience, including roles at Prudential, Nicor Products, Staples Contract & Commercial and, most recently, at Quadient. Dean follows 10 rules of leadership that he calls “The Dean’s List.” As a result, he’s been able to help his teams excel. He lives in the Houston area with his wife, Tracy, 2 dogs and a cat. Together they have a 27-year-old daughter, Torrey, who is married (to Matt) and lives in Phoenix. Dean’s favorite food is pizza. His favorite color is blue. He drinks Diet Coke, and he loves to win.
Product Designer
Nicole Pederson is a Product Designer focused on solving complex challenges through impactful solutions. Her expertise in design thinking, ideation and creative problem-solving has translated to working in strategy for both Government Experience Group (GXG) clients and product teams during her 4-year tenure at Granicus. Her work aims to define challenges, determine outcomes, complete user research and develop solutions that create meaningful results for both customers’ experiences and Granicus business objectives. Nicole also uses this passion for experience optimization to improve team culture and processes. She is eager to use this program as a platform to explore innovation around creating a more positive and engaging workplace.
Business Development Representative
Jahaia Best-Anderson (they/them) is a newer Business Development Representative (BDR) on the local govMeetings outbound team at Granicus. A graduate of the University of Lynchburg with a B.S. in Psychology, they entered the educational travel industry where they continued to foster a passion for diverse cultures. Jahaia’s journey led them to Colorado where they expanded a startup compost collection business and have become a beloved member of their local dance fitness and KiKi Ballroom communities. In their free time, Jahaia invests in nurturing relationships and cultivating skills in dance, natural horsemanship, and traditional Chinese medicine. Their fervent desires include preserving childhood passions, promoting love and respect, and advocating for collective support with the dream of creating a more inclusive and compassionate society.
Marketing Automation Specialist
Corinna McLeod, GovLoop’s Marketing Automation Specialist since October 2021, holds a first-class B.A. in Performance and Media from the University of South Wales. Her first job was at Turner Studios in London in 2013, but she didn’t discover her marketing passion until 2017 after moving to the U.S. Beyond marketing, she actively cultivates a positive culture within GovLoop’s small yet mighty team. Outside the office, she trail-runs with her dogs in the mountains of Western North Carolina and contributes her video editing skills for local non-profit marketing efforts. Passionate about fostering positive work environments, she looks forward to transferring her successful GovLoop efforts to benefit Granicus at large.
Manager, Enterprise PMO
Mattea Garcia (pronounced Maddy-uh) is a Manager, Enterprise PMO focusing on internal Corp IT projects. Prior to Granicus, she spent 12 years working in K-12 in a variety of roles, including math teacher, digital coach, LMS system admin, and high school administrator. During her time in Denver Public Schools, she led North High School to become a model for the district’s 1:1 Chromebook initiative and launched two districtwide learning management systems to support remote learning during the 2020 global pandemic. Since joining Granicus, she has helped tackle major projects, including the Slack to Teams Transition, Rock Solid IT Integration, and Zoom Phones Migration. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Mattea enjoys using her project management skills to bring order to chaos and ensure project teams have what they need to do their best work.
Director of Software Engineering
Jaymee O’Grady is the Director of Software Engineering from Algonquin, Illinois. She has nearly a decade of experience in engineering and supports two products under the Granicus umbrella, GovQA and govMeetings. Jaymee joined Granicus through the acquisition of GovQA. She is passionate about creating a positive and exciting environment for engineering and empowering engineers to collaborate across the organization to solve problems together.
Principal Architect
Rajeesh (pronounced rej-ee-sh) is a Principal Architect based in Bengaluru, India. He is focused on driving technology transformations and best practices across Granicus products. He has nearly 20 years of experience in product engineering, software architecture and platforms. In the past, he was instrumental in building mission-based teams, which embraced lean, fail-fast and outcome-based approaches to deliver products and solutions in a short span of time. He is a passionate mentor who loves to create meaningful impact on people around him with an intent to create a boundary-less environment.
Quality Assurance Lead
Liam McAloon, Quality Assurance and Accessibility Lead at Granicus, has been with the company since 2015. His focus has been on the govAccess Vision platform his entire tenure, supporting the needs of clients as they evolve. Liam began his career in support and worked his way up to quality assurance. He became an accessibility lead more recently and has assisted hundreds of website implementations to ensure equitable access.
Product Operations Specialist
John Strait is a Product Operations Specialist focused on aligning teams, enhancing efficiency and standardizing processes within the Software Engineering team. He has a unique background that led him to join Granicus in 2022, including support operations for a high-growth startup, technical support and sales for custom-built PCs, and even teaching immersion English to preschool and kindergarteners in South Korea for 4 years. He has often been described as “glue” for his ability to connect and bring people together. With a bachelor’s in international studies, it’s no surprise that John’s favorite part about Granicus is the opportunity to work with others on a global scale. In his free time, he loves traveling to places known for good food, playing video games with meaningful stories and finding ways to make others laugh.
Escalation and Customer Support Care Specialist
Megan Boven has been a Escalation and Customer Support Care Specialist with Granicus for 2 years. She loves helping customers with and through various experiences and initiatives. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and her MBA from Eastern University. Before her role at Granicus, she had experience in customer support and office management around Atlanta. In her downtime, she loves to run 5Ks, paint and read thrillers. She lives in Tucker, Georgia, with her husband, 2 dogs, 2-year-old daughter and a little baby boy on the way!
Customer Support Representative
Zelie Bates (she/her) has been a govDelivery Customer Support Representative for 2 years. Prior to working for Granicus, Zelie spent several years in the dog grooming industry, building connections with people and their pets every day. Zelie has a passion for people and is an advocate for positive social change and accessible social service programs for all. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, painting and playing video games. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her partner, 3 dogs, and 2 rabbits and studies political science at her local community college.
Senior Video Producer
Evan Mays is a Granicus Senior Video Producer from Dallas, Texas. He has been working in the video content creation industry both in front of and behind the camera for 4 years, as well as streaming on Twitch. Evan also has a background in working in a law office for 3 years as an administrative assistant and revels in chances to be more efficient and effective. Evan’s hobbies are working out, playing video games, watching anime, listening to music and taking naps.
Manager, Platform Implementation
Sheneka Anthony is the Manager of Platform Implementation, responsible for ensuring that the implementation processes for Granicus’ portfolio of complex projects are successful. She not only manages program managers but also aids in the development and adoption of Granicus’ unique approach to program management. Sheneka credits her time in the U.S. Army as the source of her passion for helping others. In her spare time, she can be found creating something, cooking, reading, indulging in tea or partaking in a variety of other interests.
Training Specialist
Andy Portwood is the U.S. Training Specialist for the OpenCities and OpenForms products within the Granicus suite and is responsible for providing both knowledge and guidance on creating successful website content and a straightforward service approach. With nearly 20 years of training experience in health care, SaaS, and public sector environments, he has honed his ability to teach individuals at every level of the learning spectrum, from beginners to power users. As a person with unique cognitive needs and abilities, Andy is also an advocate for those who are neurodivergent both inside and outside of the workplace. Outside of providing a unique training style, Andy studied musical theater, is a formal martial arts instructor, and is a live stream content creator as a personal hobby where he preaches fun, laughter and inclusivity.
Senior Scrum Master
Divya is a Senior Scrum Master dedicated to cultivating high-performing teams by reinforcing Agile principles. She is passionate about creating a positive, transparent, and collaborative environment while breaking silos and driving solution-oriented changes. In her 3-year tenure at Granicus, Divya has become proficient in coaching scrum teams on stakeholder collaboration, efficient resolution of blockers and effectively managing cross-team dependencies. She spearheaded the successful implementation of Program Increment planning within GovQA. Following the merger with Granicus, she propagated this quarterly practice to other product families. Outside of work, Divya enjoys chasing sunsets, exploring scenic trails and delving into diverse cultures through travel.
Account Executive
Melisha Liegl is an Account Executive for Granicus Australia and New Zealand, helping Australian governments serve and connect with their communities. Melisha is passionate about digital transformation and is a specialist in both online transactional and digital engagement spaces. Melisha confidently discovers customer pain points and challenges and positively leads customers to a vision of what’s possible for their organization, stakeholders, and their customers and communities. Prior to Granicus, Melisha had an extensive career in government communications and marketing roles and is passionate about improving team culture and processes.
Manager, Contracts
Greg Eck manages a team of contract managers who are part of Legal. With 25 years of experience, he has a passion for all facets of contract management and negotiation. He takes responsibility for (and actively facilitates) revenue generation by establishing partnerships between Legal and Sales. A strong leader who manages contract efforts from RFP to contract negotiation to finalizing review prior to acceptance. He thinks he has entered the golden era of his career since he joined Granicus. He lives with his wife and daughter in Volo, a suburb in the far northern suburbs of Illinois.
Lead Recruiter
Uddipona Baruah (she/her) is based in Bengaluru, India, and has 10+ years of experience in various aspects of HR working through startups to mid-size companies to enterprises. Currently, she is leading the recruitment efforts in Granicus India and working with multiple stakeholders globally to build quality teams, streamline processes in India and design and implement engagement plans that help hybrid teams connect. She ensures the fun quotient stays high while the support needed by employees is given appropriately. Uddipona hails from Assam in Northeast India and has traveled to 15 countries already! She is obsessed with dogs, working out, and enjoying good food and conversations. She believes in having a wonderful work-life balance. Life is short, live it!
Recruiter
Gini George is a Recruiter based in India. He is an engineer by education, a teacher by passion and a Talent Acquisition Specialist by profession. Prior to Granicus, in July 2022, Gini worked for a large IT services company and an IT staffing company. Gini and his wife are both proud pet parents of their boy, Bruce. Gini loves traveling and enjoys hosting house parties. He is a recipient of Granicus’ “Infinite Mile Award – Agility” and appreciation award, “Activated by Agility.”
Solutions Adviser for Digital Communications
Carolina Prieto is a Solutions Adviser for Digital Communications and supports our go-to-market efforts for Government Experience Cloud. Before she came to Granicus, she led a team of communications and engagement practitioners at a regional planning agency in Boston. She supported projects in 101 cities and towns on transportation, housing, economic development and sustainability. She also worked on internal change management best practices at the city of Boston’s Public Health Commission. Outside of work, she loves to dance, teach fitness classes and hike!
Director, Learning and Development
Brian D’Angelo is the Director of Learning & Development at Granicus. His 20-year L&D career includes impactful roles in the public sector at both the state of Oregon and the city of Portland, as well as significant contributions in the private sector to giants like Nike, Intel, and Lucent Technologies. He has also held pivotal positions at Emerson Human Capital Consulting and AIRS Human Capital Solutions where his consultancy work allowed him to partner on high-value learning and development initiatives with companies like Deloitte, Vestas American Wind Technology, Equinix Global, Xcel Energy, and BNSF Railway.
Manager, Recruiting
With 20+ years in human resources and talent acquisition, Lalita Raman manages the Global Talent Acquisition team at Granicus. She excels in talent acquisition, navigating dynamic environments across the U.S., UK, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand and India. She designs innovative programs, including interviewer training and diversity initiatives. As a staunch advocate for data-driven decisions, Lalita tracks key metrics, ensuring Granicus stays ahead of industry trends. Recognizing the importance of a compelling employer brand, she has helped craft narratives reflecting company values. Lalita’s career showcases unwavering commitment, strategic acumen, and a passion for assembling high-performing teams for organizational and individual success. In her spare time, Lalita enjoys traveling, reading, food (both eating and cooking), and spending time with her family.
Director, Customer Support & Implementation
Lynn joined Granicus 5 years ago as Project Manager and transitioned through Director of Implementation and is now Director of Technical Support, Service Cloud with worldwide teams. Located in the UK, Lynn has 30 years of experience working in the technology sector — specializing in helping local government customers achieve their digital transformation goals. Lynn is passionate about driving positive change at work and home and volunteers for Age UK as a telephone befriender. She loves gardening and walking with friends in the beautiful Cheshire countryside and enjoys picking foraged delicacies from the hedgerows along the way. Recently, Lynn proudly received the Granicus Powered by Purpose Award.
