About the event
Nava’s 2025 Open Source Summit is a half-day, in-person event that will gather participants from agencies at all levels of government, Nava team members, and well-known organizations. The event will build upon last year's momentum, and include open source developments at Nava, lightning talks, a panel discussion, and networking opportunities for participants in the civic tech space.
Space is limited for this in-person event, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The event will not be livestreamed. However, we will have a photographer and videographer in attendance, and recordings will become publicly available after the event concludes. Please can check back for updates to the schedule.
Agenda (all times ET):
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm - Check-In & Networking
1:45 pm - 2:00 pm - Opening Remarks
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm - Nava Keynote
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm - Lighting Talks
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm - Break
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Panel (45 min) + Q&A (15 min)
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Networking Reception
Speakers (in order of appearance):
Remarks
Brandon Tabaska, Software Engineer and Open Source Specialist, Nava PBC
Rohan Bhobe, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Nava PBC
Sha Hwang, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder, Nava PBC
Nava Keynote
Nava leadership will detail our current and upcoming open source projects. This includes OSCER, or Open Source Community Engagement Reporting – a new initiative to build an open source software solution that supports states in meeting requirements outlined in H.R. 1. We are also launching Nava Strata, a modular open-source platform that enables our government partners to rapidly and effectively modernize while avoiding vendor lock-in. Lastly, we’ll touch on our Nava Labs work developing AI-powered tools to assist caseworkers who help people navigate and enroll in benefits.
Lauren (LP) Ciferri, Director of Product, Nava PBC
Ed Mullen, Technical Solutions Director, Nava PBC
Martelle Esposito, Partnerships & Advocacy Director and Nava Labs Co-founder/Co-lead, Nava PBC
Lightning Talks
These 5-minute, back to back presentations will be given by agency, organization, and academic representatives. They’ll be highlighting open source work tied to government technology modernization. Paradigm shifting topics will include foundational best practices, learning in the open, collaboration between industry and academia, and more.
Zhaowen Guo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Better Government Lab
Samantha Shireman, Product Manager, Applied Social Media Lab
Michael Rossetti, PhD Researcher, Google & Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University
Panel
Open source and artificial intelligence are reshaping the landscape of government technology. Executives face twin pressures: leverage AI to deliver efficient, citizen-centric services, and ensure long-term sustainability through open source. This panel will explore how leaders can responsibly adopt AI in civic tech while also making the business case for open source: reducing costs, avoiding vendor lock-in, and creating shared digital public goods. Panelists will discuss how to align innovation with accountability, governance, and return on investment to meet the demands of both federal and state missions.
Marvin McLain, Vice President of Program Delivery, Nava PBC
David Lippert, Open Source Program Office Director, George Washington University
Alicia Rouault, Former Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Isabel Shaw, Chief Product Officer, Exygy
Andrew Weiss, Field Chief Technology Officer, Regulated Industries, GitHub
David A. Wheeler, Director of Open Source Supply Chain Security, Linux Foundation
