For the past 3.5 weeks, the Benjamin Franklin room has been graced by a roster of amazing speakers and mentors. Almost every day we have been inspired, galvanized, and challenged by the stories and personalities of civic tech leaders including:

• Jennifer Pahlka: Founder of Code for America
• Tim O’Reilly: Founder of O’Reilly Media
• David Eaves: Open government activist & negotiation expert
• Aneesh Chopra: 1st Chief Technology Officer of the US
• Brett Goldstein: 1st Chief Data Officer & Chief Information Officer of Chicago
• Joy Bonaguro: 1st Chief Data Officer of San Francisco
• Todd Park: 2nd Chief Technology Officer of the US

I wish I could have better captured the raw emotions (or even verbatim quotes) but I was too enraptured in the here-and-now listening to be taking detailed notes.

These are the snippets — the partial sound bites.

Jennifer Pahlka

• 99% perspiration & iteration — no geniuses.

David Eaves

• We’re not here to hack code. We’re here to hack bureaucracy.
• Get in their shoes and imagine what’s possible.

Tim O’Reilly

• Show government what’s possible when you use tech.
• Platform beats an app every time.
• Platforms get driven forward by amazing apps.
• Start from the outside in. Start with user needs, not government needs. The ultimate customer is the people of the city.
• Recognize different types of people not in the frame. Reframe and reformulate. Don’t just accept the frame given to you.

Brett Goldstein

• Don’t build what you want, build what they need.
• Speak their language. Straddle the worlds.
• Deliver small things fast. Deliver shiny things fast.

Todd Park

• Precision and ferocity of response.
• Do sh*t. Don’t underestimate the power of precedence.
• It’s not about you. It’s about what you do to catalyze people.
• Not just about tech. The tech is not hard. We need people who have rocket science EQ and are mission-oriented.
• Your pain is irrelevant compared to the story of those suffering.