Mayors, City Managers, and the Government We Actually Have
Local government is not just about who has the title. It is about who sets policy, who runs operations, who answers to voters, and whether residents can tell the difference.
Read ArticleThe Intersection
I build systems and study systems.
My work connects software development with public administration: how systems are built, how institutions make decisions, and how people use the information in front of them. Through technology, writing, and speaking, I explore what we can improve, what we cannot control, and what responsibility requires of us.
Writing
Complicated questions deserve more than simple answers. They do not require complicated explanations.
Speaking
You Can Do Everything Right and Still Lose
And that doesn’t mean you failed.
A keynote about the difference between a good decision and a good outcome, the limits of control, and the responsibility we still have for what comes next.
Conversational, reflective, and grounded in a simple framework: preparation, decision, response.
Selected Work
Projects and areas of work
Civic Technology
OpenHotSprings
A civic-information project built to make local meetings, updates, and public information easier for residents to find and follow.
Project NotesSchool Safety Technology
The "I Love U Guys" Foundation
Website development and digital infrastructure supporting school-safety protocols, crisis response, and reunification work across the country.
Technology ContextComputational Research
MRI Data Analysis Automation
Python and BASH research tools created at Michigan State University to automate design matrices, contrast matrices, and cluster-submitted analysis workflows.
Research ProjectPublic Service
Government, civic work, and community responsibility.
My public-service work connects municipal involvement, civic technology, nonprofit systems, and public-administration research. The recurring question is practical: how can residents better understand the institutions and decisions that affect their lives?
Explore Public Service
About
The person behind the work.
I am from Hot Springs, Arkansas, with a background that crosses software development, public administration, public service, nonprofit work, and research. This site is a home for that broader story: the systems I build, the public questions I study, and the work that has shaped how I think about service.
More About GarrettExperience & Education
Professional and academic background
The "I Love U Guys" FoundationFull Stack Developer
Acxiom LLCSolution Developer
University of Southern CaliforniaMaster of Public Administration
Hendrix CollegeBachelor of Arts in Computer Science
Contact
Get in touch
Email is the best starting point for speaking, writing, professional, civic, or project-related conversations.