The People Speak Story
Since our founding in 2018, People Speak has set out to modernize local public hearings and disrupt century-old practices. Based in Boulder, Colorado, we have become the leading platform for cities and counties looking to transform how residents, decision-makers, and staff participate in public hearings. Our team combines decades of modern software expertise with partnerships with government and industry leaders.
Executive Team & Advisors
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Jason Sperling
PEOPLE SPEAK CO-FOUNDER
10+ years in software product management in adtech, healthtech, fintech, and govtech. Received his MBA from University of Hawaii at Honolulu, Hawaii / Hanoi, Vietnam. LinkedIn
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Mike Ackerman
PEOPLE SPEAK CO-FOUNDER
15+ years of software engineering in industrial control systems, desktop applications, and web applications. Bachelors in Computer Engineering and Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from University of Nebraska. LinkedIn
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Travis Parker
ADVISOR: PUBLIC-PRIVATE INNOVATIONS
20+ years in local government, currently Community Development Director for Lakewood, Colorado. MPA from George Washington University and a Bachelors in Urban Planning from Iowa State University. LinkedIn
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Ido Ivry
ADVISOR: CO-FOUNDER / CTO OF ZENCITY AND AN OPEN DATA VETERAN
Ido holds an M.Sc in Computer Science and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and an MBA from the Recanati Executive Program from Tel Aviv University. Prior to founding Zencity, Ido worked at the National Library of Israel as head of Innovation. LinkedIn
Trusted by World-Class Governments
Experience the solution at the City of Lakewood, City of Wheat Ridge, and City of Grand Junction, Colorado.
KIND WORDS
“Lakewood has seen a huge increase in participation using People Speak. Our City Council appreciates the increased participation and our residents love the new access to information and additional ability to comment.”
– Adam Paul, Mayor, City of Lakewood
“People Speak makes public hearings transparent, convenient, easy, and inclusive. We began using it for online participation for public hearings. As we transitioned our focus to virtual meetings for Planning Commission and City Council, we’ve adopted the use of the platform for packet management for public meetings as well. It is a great product and tool—easy for the public and for staff!”
– Lauren Mikulak, AICP, Planning Manager, City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado
“We held our first planning commission meeting last night and conducted a full quasi-judicial hearing. Our planning commissioners really liked utilizing the platform and were impressed at how quickly we were able to get this up and running. We are so pleased with your responsiveness, willingness to troubleshoot and help train, and your attention to detail.”
– Tamra Allen, City of Grand Junction Community Development Director
