In this episode of Generation Reset, Kerry Rodriguez sits down with Aubteen Pour-Biazar, co-founder and CEO of EffiGov, a Y Combinator-backed startup installing AI phone agents at the front desks of local governments, to discuss how his team is rethinking how local government agencies and residents interact.

Aubteen traces his path from a public school kid in a mid-sized Alabama town with no coding background, through stints at a local chamber of commerce, a political campaign, and a White House internship, to building EffiGov after two years of talking directly with civil servants about what they actually needed. What started as a "Nextdoor for politics" concept pivoted, once they listened to city and county staff, into an AI system that answers, routes, and resolves resident phone calls — now handling more than 20,000 calls a month across four states.

The conversation explores:

• why EffiGov scrapped its original civic engagement app idea after talking to actual government staff
• why framing AI as a "utility" rather than a "technology" changes how officials respond to it
• how interconnected department-specific agents eliminate the experience of being bounced between offices
• the built-in feedback loop that flags outdated information and helps staff keep answers accurate
• data privacy safeguards, zero data retention agreements, and the risks of "shadow AI" use by government staff
• and the real-world savings — in staff time and taxpayer dollars — governments are already seeing

Throughout the discussion, Aubteen argues that most of the nearly 20,000 cities and counties in the U.S. operate with far less infrastructure than big cities like New York or San Francisco, and that AI can close much of that gap without requiring large budgets or technical staff.

This episode is ultimately about political activation, government innovation, AI in the public sector, and what it takes to modernize how residents and their governments talk to each other.

Generation Reset with Kerry Rodriguez is a podcast exploring political activation, civic engagement, and the forces that push people into — or away from — public life.

Produced by the ContraSearch Network, a division of ContraSearch, Inc.

In this episode of Generation Reset, Kerry Rodriguez sits down with Danielle Avissar, a New York City community board member and brand marketing professional, to discuss how one unfair bus policy led her down a path to joining city politics.

Danielle traces her path from a frustrating run-in with MTA bus drivers over a stroller policy during COVID, to organizing mothers around a dog waste campaign on the Upper East Side, to being accepted onto Manhattan's Community Board 8 after a first rejection. Along the way, she built a hands-on understanding of how local advocacy actually moves — from media pressure and grassroots organizing to the more deliberative, consensus-driven work of serving on a city board.

The conversation explores:

• how a personal frustration with MTA stroller policy became a citywide media campaign
• why hitting local news outlets while "the iron is hot" can prove very effective
• what it's like sitting on a board with 50 ideologically diverse members and reaching majority consensus
• why community boards often serve as a launching pad into deeper political involvement
• how to prioritize which asks are realistic when pitching proposals to elected officials
• and why so few young people show up to serve on boards that shape their own neighborhoods

Throughout the discussion, Danielle argues that real, lasting change usually starts small — a clear ask, a coalition of people who back it, and a direct conversation with whoever actually has the power to act. She's candid about the limits of a community board's power, the generational gap among its members, and the outsized role local government plays in the day-to-day texture of city life, from stroller space on buses to sidewalks free of dog waste.

This episode is ultimately about political activation, local government, grassroots organizing, and how everyday frustrations can turn into civic power.

Generation Reset with Kerry Rodriguez is a podcast exploring political activation, civic engagement, and the forces that push people into — or away from — public life.

Produced by the ContraSearch Network, a division of ContraSearch, Inc.

In this episode of Generation Reset, Kerry Rodriguez sits down with Dr. Angela Myers, a 15-year veteran of the federal government and founder of Polymaths Place, to discuss what it's really like inside the machinery of the executive branch, and why she believes AI and automation will force a reimagining of federal government from the ground up.

Angela traces her path from a civically minded childhood — shaped by her family's history fleeing the Spanish Civil War and later Castro's Cuba — through internships in Governor Gray Davis's office and the White House, to nearly six years at the Executive Office of the President spanning the transition from the Bush to the Obama administration. Along the way, she built a rare inside view of how the 99.8% of government — the non-elected civil service — actually operates beneath the 0.2% of political appointees who come and go every four to eight years.

The conversation explores:

• what a presidential transition actually looks like from inside the Executive Office of the President
• why political appointees rarely succeed at changing the bureaucratic "machine" beneath them
• how AI and automation are already being embedded into federal operations, and what that means for jobs, costs, and taxpayers
• the case for looking abroad for best-in-class government models (like Norway's criminal justice system) and adapting them
• why "polymathic," versatile thinkers may matter more than narrow specialists in an AI-driven future
• and what young people considering a career in government or politics should actually weigh before choosing a path

Throughout the discussion, Angela argues that government at every level — federal, state, and local — should exist for one simple mission: reducing suffering and enhancing human thriving. She's candid about the scale of federal spending on war and incarceration relative to public health, housing, and education, and pushes back on the idea that loyalty to political parties serves citizens well. She closes with a call for leaders — and voters — who are willing to learn across ideological lines rather than treat politics like a team sport.

This episode is ultimately about political activation, federal bureaucracy, AI and the future of government, and what it takes to reimagine public service for a rapidly changing world.

Generation Reset with Kerry Rodriguez is a podcast exploring political activation, civic engagement, and the forces that push people into — or away from — public life.

Produced by the ContraSearch Network, a division of ContraSearch, Inc.