Post by Michael A.F.

Earlier this week in D.C. at the GBA (Government Blockchain Association) event was one of those “the room is the signal” moments. Real-world use cases were presented that are being implemented and adopted. The advocacy and gathering of government leaders from various states and across the world coming together with thoughtful builders, and streamlined operators making theory a reality focused on fraud, waste, and abuse prevention. By merging government with solution-driven technologies, we enable the accountability, auditability, and public service trust that is so desired. Thank you to Gerard Dache, Kathy D., Alejandro Mandujano and the GBA executives, organizers and members. I’m grateful for the openness and encouragement around what we’re building with StatePay™, an audit-by-default infrastructure with real-time visibility designed to keep tax dollars local and prevent economic leakage. One of the best parts was finally meeting key people in person from turning LinkedIn connections into real conversations and collaborations. A few highlights such as Grace Navas who has been a key strategic advisor for the past few months. Matthew A. Schneider who has been a key advocate for over a year and now an official advisor role for StatePay. Yaeunda Pou - Williams connecting relationships and networking. Plus many more. Then Senator Michael "Big Mike" Fési and I flew back Tuesday morning to Louisiana just in time for the Pelican Institute for Public Policy's 2026 Solutions Summit, and it was energizing to reconnect with fellow “Pel-I-Cans” in the current 2026 Pelican Leadership Academy. More to come. Great seeing and meeting everyone: Paul F. Dowding Brittany Kaiser Jonathan Baha'i Ebony Thompson Ian Taylor Jim Kyung-Soo Liew, Ph.D. Jacqueline Cooper Logical Decorum Tamara Zeidan Abdoul M. Alex Konanykhin Ricardo Russell Lee G. Debbie Silverman Remi Alli Christopher Smithmyer John Gaffigan Monica Clark Michael Toner 🔜 SXSW Ross Myers Dr. Sylvester Okere, CCIA, CCIE, CCI, CIPM ll, FIIM Mark Dempsey Lara George And to the Pelican Institute: Daniel Erspamer, Laurie Adams and team great job! *If you're in GovTech, let's collaborate. #GBA2026 #PelicanInstitute #PublicPolicy #StatePay