White House seeks UK assistance on digital strategy

July 4, 2013, the day we celebrate our independence from Britain, was the first time Jen Phalka called Mike Bracken for support.  This is an excerpt from her story thanking Mike Bracken for all he did to transform Governments in the 21st century.

“We laughed about the irony of calling on July 4th! It wasn’t the last call I made to the U.K. that year I spent in D.C., and not the last time Mike generously shared his time, wisdom, and enormous compassion. Soon, I wasn’t the only person in the White House paying attention to the U.K.’s GDS. My colleague Nick Sinai paid a visit much like mine, and returned with a mind similarly blown with what was being achieved: not just ideas about policy, but with what the GDS was actually delivering to citizens and residents. Next, Ryan Panchadsaram went. Now, a pilgrimage to the GDS that Mike and his team have built has become a rite of passage (and a shot of energy and inspiration) for every serious digital government reformer in city, state, and federal government in the U.S. and around the world. Each of us is hoping to learn from and borrow Mike’s model and capture even a fraction of the team’s success.”