About Ben

Ben began consulting in 2019 after seven years of direct service to local governments on the East and West Coast. Most recently, Ben worked for the Budget and Management Services Department in the City of Durham, North Carolina. He worked on the annual budget and the community-wide strategic plan. He completed revenue projections for sales tax and water sales, assisted with financial planning for affordable housing, and led community engagement efforts designed to inform the City’s budget process. Ben also started an innovation partnership program with local technology startup companies, which was awarded the J. Robert Havlick Award for Innovation in Local Government from the Alliance for Innovation.

As a consultant, Ben has been involved with organizational assessments for a broad range of departments – from emergency communications to human resources. He has analyzed staffing levels and organizational structure, created process maps, and developed actionable recommendations for improvement. Ben has also leveraged his experience to explore unique challenges for local governments. For example, he worked with the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, to conduct a cultural assessment of the Light and Power Utility, analyzing workplace climate and management practices.

Ben began his career in the Portland, Oregon region, where he served the Cities of Beaverton, West Linn, and Gresham, as well as Metro, the regional government for the Portland area. In those roles, he focused on community engagement, outreach, and communications initiatives. Ben expanded his experience in the Budget, Management, and Evaluation Department in Guilford County, North Carolina, where he analyzed government services such as jail operations and education funding. He also managed the County’s social media and internal employee newsletter.

In addition to his work for local governments, Ben is a founding member of Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL). Since 2013, ELGL has grown from a few hundred members in Oregon to over 4,800 across the nation. He produces and co-hosts ELGL’s GovLove Podcast, which discusses topics ranging from innovation and performance to equity and workforce development. He has led planning for the organization’s annual conference and written articles for the website. He currently serves as the Chair of the ELGL Board of Directors.

Ben earned a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University and a bachelor’s in politics and economics from Willamette University.