Public Voices by NEOGOV

Ignite 2026 is almost here. Here is your behind-the-scenes look at what to expect, and why you will not want to miss it.Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV. In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson are joined by Jessica Tyler and Alycia Conrad for a look inside Ignite 2026, NEOGOV's annual user conference, happening in Orlando October 21 to 23 with an out-of-this-world space theme. They get into what makes Ignite different, how it has grown over 25 years, the can't-miss sessions and surprises, and why it is worth the trip whether you are a longtime customer or a first-timer.🚀 Register for Ignite 2026: https://www.neogov.com/igniteGUESTS:Jessica Tyler, Director of Public Sector Strategy, NEOGOVAlycia Conrad, Director of Growth Marketing, NEOGOVHOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Everyone is talking about AI. But what about the part of the job a machine can never do?Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV. In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on the conversation happening at every conference and on every customer call, and argue we are missing half the story. The tools have real value, from cutting paperwork to spotting patterns in data. But nobody calls 911 to say they won the lottery. When someone is having the worst day of their life, the human element is the whole job, and that is the part AI cannot replace.Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get into where AI genuinely helps, what should never be handed to a machine, and how leaders who feel behind or overwhelmed can figure out where to start.HOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

What does poor communication actually cost? Not the theory of good communication, the receipts.Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson get specific about what poor communication actually costs. Not the theory of good communication, the receipts. They each bring a real story where things went sideways, a major system transition that left out the people who knew the work, and a proposal that spiraled into days of frustration over an assumption that turned out to be completely wrong.Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get into why breakdowns keep happening, the difference between sending information and actually communicating, and how a little clarity and a few regular conversations build the trust that holds up when it matters.HOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, host Nicole Carlson sits down with Rebecca Butka, an HR consultant with the State of Wyoming, for a Public Voices Spotlight. Everyone talks about wanting a positive workplace, but you can't just tell people to be positive. Rebecca makes the case that the real skill underneath it is listening, hearing people out when they're frustrated, and showing them the situation is bigger than any one person.Rebecca shares the story that shaped how she works, why frustration is usually a sign someone cares, and how listening first changes the way people show up. It's an honest look at the human side of public sector HR.GUEST:Rebecca Butka - HR Consultant, State of Wyoming.HOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson trade their summer reading assignments and grade each other's picks. It's the back-to-school book club, and here's the twist: none of the books they brought are about HR or law enforcement. The point is that the ideas that shape how you lead often come from outside your field.Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get into vulnerability as courage, why fear can have a voice but never the wheel, how to tell the work that energizes you from the work that drains you, and why you don't need a title to make an impact.📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:Daring Greatly by Brené BrownBig Magic by Elizabeth GilbertBuy Back Your Time by Dan MartellWhat to Do When It's Your Turn by Seth GodinAlso mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and ⁠The Time You Have (In JellyBeans) by  ⁨Ze Frank⁠HOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on cross-functional communication and why teams that share the same mission so often end up working against each other. Departments sit across the hall, serve the same community, and still pull in different directions, and the friction usually has less to do with people than with the systems around them.Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get into the curse of knowledge that keeps teams stuck in their own perspective, why "HR said so" almost guarantees resistance, and how to tell a systems problem apart from a people problem.It's a practical look at building trust across departments and the relational chart that matters more than any org chart.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.SPONSORED by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In the final episode of our pilot season, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on a word that gets used a lot and understood very little: wellness. Most organizations treat it as a list of perks, but if the culture underneath is built on fear, none of it matters.Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get honest about how wellness has grown beyond physical fitness, why psychological safety is the real foundation, and what it takes to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.This episode covers the evolving definition of wellness, why perks alone can't fix an unhealthy culture, psychological safety as the real foundation, innovative approaches to mental health support, and the difference between resilience and endurance.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on one of the most dreaded tools in the workplace: the performance improvement plan. Most people hear PIP and brace for the worst. But what happens when leaders stop treating it as the last stop before firing someone and start using it as a real development tool?Drawing on nearly 20 years in public sector HR and three decades in law enforcement leadership, Nicole and Doug get honest about why PIPs fail, how to build a culture of feedback before one is ever needed, and what it actually takes to help an employee turn things around.This episode covers the reputation problem behind PIPs, building a feedback culture, navigating difficult conversations, managing emotional reactions, and the dual responsibility leaders and employees share in making a PIP work.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In Part 2 of this special two-part roundtable, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker continue the conversation with retired Assistant City Manager Pamela Benjamin, retired Deputy Chief Evan Kunert, and retired Chief of Police Bob Weck. Together they bring over 80 years of combined experience in HR, city management, and law enforcement to talk about how leaders make the call when the data is imperfect and the systems don't talk.This episode covers data-driven decision making, leading through indecision, breaking down organizational silos, and developing the people who will one day take your place.🎤 GUESTS:⁠Pamela Benjamin⁠ - Retired Assistant City Manager for the City of Columbia, SC, with over 30 years of experience spanning HR, state government, and city leadership including roles as HR Director and Chief of Staff to the City Manager.⁠Evan Kunert⁠ - Retired Deputy Chief of the Kingman, AZ Police Department with 23 years of service. Built and led the department's Professional Standards bureau, oversaw accreditation, and spent the last six years of his career addressing officer wellness and leadership gaps.⁠Robert Weck⁠ - Retired Chief of Police for the Summit, NJ Police Department with 31 years of service, including 10 years as chief. Currently serves as a Public Safety Executive Advisor at PowerDMS by NEOGOV.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In Part 1 of this special two-part roundtable, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker sit down with Pamela Benjamin, retired Assistant City Manager for the City of Columbia, SC, Evan Kunert, retired Deputy Chief of the Kingman, AZ Police Department, and Bob Weck, retired Chief of Police for the Summit, NJ Police Department. Together they bring over 80 years of combined experience in HR, city management, and law enforcement to talk about the moments that define leaders and the ones that quietly break them.This episode covers crisis communication, accountability, psychological safety, and what burnout actually looks like from the inside.🎤 GUESTS:Pamela Benjamin - Retired Assistant City Manager for the City of Columbia, SC, with over 30 years of experience spanning HR, state government, and city leadership including roles as HR Director and Chief of Staff to the City Manager.Evan Kunert - Retired Deputy Chief of the Kingman, AZ Police Department with 23 years of service. Built and led the department's Professional Standards bureau, oversaw accreditation, and spent the last six years of his career addressing officer wellness and leadership gaps.Robert Weck - Retired Chief of Police for the Summit, NJ Police Department with 31 years of service, including 10 years as chief. Currently serves as a Public Safety Executive Advisor at PowerDMS by NEOGOV.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson dig into workplace communication and how leaders handle difficult conversations, give better feedback, run meetings worth showing up for, and lead with clarity and transparency when the pressure is highest. 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:Dare to Lead by Brené BrownHOSTED BY:⁠⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this week's episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson sit down with recently retired Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian to talk about one of the most critical and most overlooked foundations of public safety leadership: organizational trust. Not community trust. The trust that lives inside your agency, between leaders and the people they lead, and how that internal foundation shapes everything else.If you are leading a public safety agency and wondering how to build trust with a new team, rebuild it after it has eroded, or hold the line between transparency and confidentiality without losing your people, this conversation is for you.🎤 GUEST:J.T. Manoushagian - Recently retired Chief of Police from Lake Worth, Texas, with a career in law enforcement that began as a dispatcher at 17 and rose through the ranks to command staff and chief. Currently serves as a Public Safety Executive Advisor at NEOGOV.HOSTED BY:⁠⁠Nicole Carlson⁠⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, Spotify, and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠⁠NEOGOV.com⁠⁠The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In this week's episode, our hosts retired Police Chief Doug Shoemaker and HR veteran Nicole Carlson tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in workforce management: generational labels. They challenge the idea that the year someone was born determines how they lead, communicate, or show up at work, and offer a different framework on how leaders can develop and retain their people as individuals.If you are navigating generational workforce challenges in your public sector agency, watching the retirement wave reshape your team, or trying to solve government workforce retention problems before institutional knowledge walks out the door, this conversation is for you.📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED 📚Unreasonable Hospitality by Will GuidaraHOSTED BY:⁠Nicole Carlson⁠ - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.⁠Doug Shoemaker⁠ - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on ⁠YouTube⁠, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at ⁠NEOGOV.com⁠The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day.In our first episode, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker introduce themselves and dig into workplace culture, employee engagement, leadership, and why the public sector needs more spaces like this one.RESOURCES MENTIONED:Gallup 2026 Global Employee Engagement ReportHOSTED BY:Nicole Carlson - Former public sector HR Director with nearly 20 years of experience, starting as a dispatcher straight out of high school and rising through the ranks to lead her organization's HR department.Doug Shoemaker - 30-year law enforcement veteran who served as police chief at multiple agencies and spent over a decade leading public information and media relations.New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Sponsored by NEOGOV: Helping government HR and public safety agencies work smarter with AI, automation, and configuration. Learn more at NEOGOV.comThe views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any government agency. This podcast is produced by NEOGOV and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governmental entity. Any references to products or services reflect personal experiences and are not official agency endorsements.