Derek Alton (he/him)

Hi, I’m Derek Alton — a community builder and storyteller working to open source government. For over a decade, I’ve explored how we can make governments more open, collaborative, and capable of tackling the challenges of our time.

I’m the Community Engagement Lead at Apolitical, where I help weave together over 40 communities of 25,000+ public servants around the world on topics ranging from AI and digital transformation to future thinking and innovation.

I’m also the creator of Civic Punks, a video and podcast project documenting innovations in government and inspiring the next generation of public servants, and the co-author of a government fable exploring how systems change from within.

Previously, I worked on digital transformation with the Government of Canada and helped found Civic Tech Ottawa and the Canadian Open Data Society. My work sits at the intersection of community, technology, and public purpose.