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Where Civic Ideas Come to Life
Join us for a day of open innovation, where governments, startups, businesses, nonprofits and community members come together to explore what’s next in civic tech. From AI-powered permitting assistants to codesigned digital services, this is your front-row seat to how the region is partnering to build the future. Whether you’re a technologist, government employee, startup, small business owner, policymaker or curious neighbor—this is your invitation to see civic innovation in motion.
The Innovation Exchange took place on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 at City Hall.
We'd Love to Hear From You
Innovation Exchange Agenda
Morning Events
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8:30 a.m.
- Registration
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- Location: Bellevue City Hall Concourse
- Details: Register for the event, grab a coffee, and visit with start-ups and businesses working with civic technology.
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9 a.m.
- Welcome to Bellevue
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Speakers: Mo Malakoutian, Deputy Mayor; Diane Carlson, City Manager; Joe Todd, Deputy City Manager.
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9:15 a.m.
- Opening Keynote
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Speaker: Gretchen Peri, Washington State Chief Technology officer.
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9:45 a.m.
- Opening Discussion
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Speakers: Rob Lloyd, CTO, City of Seattle; Joe Nguyen, Director of Commerce, Washington State; Dr. David May, President of Bellevue College. Moderator: Sabra Schneider, CIO, City of Bellevue.
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10:30 a.m.
- Break / Meet Someone New
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Details: Meet someone new and stretch.
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10:45 a.m.
- Lightning Talks
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Details: Learn about specific projects that highlight innovative partnerships seeking to push boundaries of technology and civic services.
- Govstream.ai and City of Bellevue collaboration to streamline permitting: Saf Rabah, CEO and Jake Hesselgesser, Assistant Director
- Digital Twin of I-90 Bridge: Bart Treece, Director, Mobility Innovation Center at CoMotion
- Smart, Resilient, Network Edge: Steve Braaten, Chief Architect, Khasm Labs
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11:15 a.m.
- Opening Keynote
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- Location: Council Chambers
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11:45 a.m.
- Lunch, Demos, and Poster Sessions
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- Location: Concourse and 1E-108
- Details: Join us in the concourse to connect with Innovators in the region, from start-ups to established anchor companies and learn what’s next for civic innovation. Or take your lunch into 1E-108 and join a table discussion.
Afternoon Concurrent Events
All sessions from 12:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. are divided into three tracks:
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12:45 p.m.
- A. Civic Inspiration Track: Public Services Reimagined (Concurrent)
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- Location: Chambers
- Details: Learn from practical demonstrations about how governments are innovating to improve public services. Panelists will share practical stories about using technology, thoughtful design, and partnerships to improve services. Moderated by PJ Rodriguez, COO IT, City of Bellevue. Panelists include Tamara Davis, Chief Technology Officer, King County; Angela Kleis, Deputy CIO, Washington State Department of Commerce; and Enzhou Wang, Chief Data Officer, City of Tacoma.
- B. AI Productivity Track: Unlock Productivity with AI: Part 1 (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-108
- Details: Discover how generative AI can supercharge your productivity in this dynamic, interactive Copilot Demo sessions. Whether you're new to AI or already experimenting with various AI tools, these sessions are designed to help you harness the power of natural language prompts to streamline work, spark ideas, and solve real-world challenges. Learn how to craft effective prompts using generative AI tools. Apply what you learn through demo sessions that simulate real world productivity scenarios. Participants of all skill levels are welcome to join us for an engaging afternoon that sparks creativity, collaboration, and innovation with AI. In part 1, you’ll learn more about AI, prompting, and tools. Sponsored by Microsoft and Centric Consulting.
- C. Leading Innovation Track: Preparing People for the Future of Work in an AI World (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-112
- Details: As AI and new technologies change how we work, it's important to make sure people have the skills they need to keep up. This panel will look at how organizations are helping their teams learn, adapt, and stay relevant in a fast-changing environment. Panelists will share practical approaches to training, supporting career growth, and building workplaces that are ready for the future without leaving anyone behind. Panelists will also lead a discussion with audience participants. Moderated by Joy St. Germain, Director of Human Resources, City of Bellevue. Panelists: Ingrid Iradukunda, Global Employee Engagement Lead, Amazon; Elise Sivlay, Technology Client Leader, IBM; Marty Mulholland, Cybersecurity Principal, City of Tacoma.
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1:30 p.m.
- Break
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1:45 p.m.
- A. Civic Service Inspiration Track: Bellevue Innovation Challenge Showcase (Concurrent)
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Details: Join us for lightning talks highlighting the creative solutions emerging from Bellevue’s Innovation Challenge. Moderated by Sandy Sharma, Transformation Advisor, Entrepreneur and Investor.
- B. AI Productivity Track: Unlock Productivity with AI: Part 2 (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-108
- Details: Overview and hands on with prompting strategies, experiments, and gaining prompting skills. (Part 2 of 3)
- C. Leading Innovation Track: Building Adaptive and Resilient Teams (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-112
- Details: This hands-on workshop focuses on building adaptive, resilient and future-ready workforces centered around equity, inclusion and empowerment. This workshop helps participants build the skillsets required to be an adaptive, AI-enabled leader. Christina Burns from Slalom will lead this workshop. (Note this workshop runs for 60 mins)
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2:30 p.m.
- Break and Demos
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- Details: Explore concourse demos and connect with other innovators.
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3 p.m.
- A. Civic Service Inspiration Track: Innovating for Safer Communities (Concurrent)
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Details: Explore how new tools, technologies, and approaches are helping to improve public safety. From data driven strategies to community partnerships, learn how jurisdictions are working to make public safety more responsible, effective, safe, and equitable. Facilitated by Andrew Popochock, Assistant Chief, Bellevue Police.
- B. AI Productivity Track: Unlock Productivity with AI: Part 3 (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-108
- Details: This session will be based on the previous two and will focus on building AI agents that can work for you. (Part 3 of 3).
- C. Leading Innovation Track: The Innovation Paradox in the Public Sector (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-112
- Details: In today’s public sector landscape, the push to innovate is often entangled with the imperative to act responsibly—especially when it comes to emerging technologies. Government and education leaders strive to drive transformation while upholding ethical standards, ensuring transparency, and protecting public trust. This panel and discussion explore the tension between embracing innovation and navigating the scrutiny that comes with it. Facilitated by Trever Esko, Senior Director and Associate Partner at Gartner and James Gavin, AI and Emerging Tech PM at WaTech.
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3:45 p.m.
- Break
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4 p.m.
- Closing Session
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- Location: Council Chambers
Evening Events
Innovation on the Plaza will take place during other scheduled events. Sessions from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. are divided into two concurrent tracks.
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4:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.
- Innovation on the Plaza
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- Location: Outdoor Plaza
- Details: Enjoy a live DJ, food truck, and learn more about how you can give back to the ecosystem with area non-profits. See demonstrations of innovation in action with public safety. Provide feedback to Bellevue Staff about how you use technology to engage with the city. Bring contributions to an e-waste drive accepting donations of old technology to be refurbished and provided to low-income individuals and families in need.
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4:30 p.m.
- Start-up Coaching
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- Location: Council Chambers
- Details: Join Sandy Sharma for informal conversations, support, and brainstorming about your start-up idea. Sandy has 35 years of innovation and entrepreneur experience and has been engaged with more than 100 start-ups.
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5:30 p.m.
- A. Intro to AI Prompting (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-108
- Details: Learn the basics of AI prompting. Hosted by Govstream.ai.
- B. Ethics and AI Roundtable Discussion (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-112
- Details: Join Bellevue College and City of Bellevue staff for a roundtable about ethics and AI.
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6:15 p.m.
- A. AI and Small Business Skills (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-108
- Details: Learn more about how to use AI for your small business. Hosted by IBM.
- B. Intro to Vibe Coding (Concurrent)
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- Location: 1E-112
- Details: Learn the basics of vibe coding. Hosted by Govstream.ai.
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6:45 p.m.
- Closing Remarks
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- Location: Council Chambers
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7 p.m.
- Event Concludes
Information Technology
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