Local Hero Coffee Break

Episode 5: 5. City of Aurora, IL, Michael Pegues | How executing fast helped grow citizen participation in council meetings from 50 to 4000+

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William Blake's quote that “Execution is the chariot of genius” is one of Michael Peuges' favorites -- this mindset has enabled Michael to lead Aurora to be one of the most innovative cities in the United States.


Michael Pegues, a relative newcomer to government, is the CIO of the second largest city in Illinois. Despite only being in the job for a handful of years and having no background in local government, he is constantly on the top lists of Government CIOs and smart cities initiatives. Michael developed a passion for city work and has become an urban tech champion, leading the city of Aurora to be a leading smart city on a national and global scale. 

Listen to learn more about:

  • How Michael made the transition from leadership roles at Vodafone and Morgan Stanley to CIO at the City of Aurora, his hometown. 
  • Why as CIO, Michael also sees himself as a social entrepreneur driving social impact - paying it forward to his community through digital equity and inclusion, access to information, and much more. 
  • Michael's take on key adaptable skills from the private sector to the public sector
  • Digital transformation and communication, and how to adapt to digital government communication methods with citizens
  • Pandemic response from a CIO's perspective 
  • How increased civic participation requires implementing new tools to handle things such as misinformation
  • Making sense of data in local government
  • Michael's 4 "P"s: People, process, policy and partners
  • Michael's local heroes 


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    Local Hero Coffee BreakBy Michael Mazur
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