Digital Government and Web Accessibility Veteran Joins OpenCities

KANSAS CITY, Mo., September 28, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​OpenCities, the leading customer journey platform that helps local governments transform their websites, digital forms and workflows experience announced Josh Ditthardt as their US Sales Director. Josh joins the firm after spending the better part of the last decade helping government accessibility software firm, Siteimprove, grow their local government business.  ​​

Ditthardt’s appointment is a result of his proven experience and commitment to working in collaboration with local government. “Helping governments provide better digital services to their residents isn't just about technology, but also empowering them with new skills and approaches. Josh is a demonstrated customer-centric leader and understands the value of helping government evolve,” said Luke Norris, US Managing Director of OpenCities.

OpenCities has created market demand for its customer journey platform and is the go-to resource for Cities and Counties of all sizes looking to create ‘customer-centred’ websites and digital services. OpenCities’ clients are recognized nationally by  organizations such as the National Association of Government Web professionals (NAGW), where City of Grand Rapids, MI and City of Lakewood, CO have won Pinnacle Awards the past two years, and where Lakewood won the Siteimprove Award for the Most Accessible Website in 2019. In addition, the City of Lynnwood, another OpenCities client has been recognized as a 2020 Government Experience Award winner by the Center for Digital Government. 

Before joining OpenCities, Ditthardt led Siteimprove’s government and commercial sales teams. After joining the firm in the US as the 14th employee, Josh quickly saw the opportunity to support local government, building Siteimprove’s 17 person sales team focused on serving more than 65,000 government agencies across the US.   

Today OpenCities powers millions of daily citizen interactions for hundreds of governments worldwide. Since starting in the US in 2016, OpenCities has grown more than 150% each year. US customers today include cities like Grand Rapids, Miami, Orlando, Austin and range from 12,000 in population to over 1M. According to Norris, there is a strong demand for a low-code platform that helps governments do more with fewer resources and at the same time creates value for residents and the government alike.

“OpenCities has always been a firm I recognized as doing something unique. Now more than ever, governments need ways to build and manage digital services to provide better customer service to residents,” said Ditthardt. He continued, “I’ve spoken to thousands of government web and technology professionals and know first-hand their anxiety, frustration and fear of not having a website or digital service experience that is accessible. That’s why I’m excited to help more governments engage their citizens with the OpenCities platform.”

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Source: OpenCities