Meet your Consultants

Sam - Partner & Lead Designer

Hi, I’m Sam! I’m a founding partner and the lead designer at Linnett Loving. I’m a local government nerd who loves helping cities, counties, and towns help their residents. I’m obsessed with how local government works (seriously, I once emailed my team while on vacation to let them know Madrid does trash collection at 2 a.m. instead of when cars are on the road) and the impact it has on its constituents on a daily basis.

I’m based in Washington, DC, soaking up some sunshine after spending eight years falling in love with a very snowy Syracuse. I live with my fiancé and three rambunctious cats. We love exploring our new city and neighborhood we call home (and yes, by “we” I do also mean the cats, who go out for walks). 

I got started in local government with the Syracuse Innovation Team and genuinely had no idea just how much I would fall in love with the work we did. I quickly realized that local government is where the action really happens. We worked on everything from improving road quality to predicting water main breaks, increasing rental housing safety, reducing housing instability, and making it easier for small businesses to get registered in the city. 

And the best part is we were quickly and successfully making change and seeing impact. In my time studying public policy and working at the federal level afterwards, I came to understand just how rare that was. Using a process to understand challenges, connect directly with constituents, analyze data, ideate solutions, prototype their implementation, and measure their results, we had cracked a code to timely and effective change in local government.

That’s why we started Linnett Loving, to spread this success in creating impactful change to local governments across the United States, and to nerd out with all of you about helping the communities you serve in the ways only local government truly can. 

When I’m not being a civic innovation nerd, I’m a travel agent, blogger, and digital content creator. I work to help people connect with local communities all over the world and have authentic cultural experiences. I believe that the more we know about each other, the more empathy we have for people and communities that are different from us, and the better the world will be.

Nerd out with me! Want to talk local government, social justice, or even travel? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Evan - Partner & Lead Strategist

Hello, I’m Evan. I am a co-founder and lead strategist at Linnett Loving. I am a public servant with a passion for strategic planning and decision-making. I love to identify and solve problems that help local governments serve their community. I believe every locality has the potential to meet the needs of their residents with the right strategy, planning, design, and implementation, but also that any locality without these aspects is unlikely to do so, no matter their resources.

My first role in local government was as an intern in a large and well-funded local government in Virginia. On my very first day, I was told my job was to sit at the front desk of an office, welcoming visitors and answering phone calls from constituents. Whenever there were no visitors or phone calls, I was asked to read through old newspapers and magazines, cutting out articles or information about my boss. I was not even out of college but I had been working over five years and I knew right away that this wasn’t for me. 

At the end of the day, I told my supervisor thanks for the opportunity but I needed some action in my work so I did not think this role was a good fit for me. He encouraged me to come back the next day with the promise of more engaging work. When I came back the next day I was assigned to support a senior project manager, focused on a major infrastructure improvement. That was when I learned my first two valuable lessons about local government: no matter how big or well-funded, the bench is only ever so deep, and because of that, it is full of opportunities. 

Local government is filled with opportunities to serve communities. It is what you do with those opportunities that really matter. Since that day, I have set out to be someone that engages in the process, tries to contribute my knowledge, skills, and abilities to address needs and solve problems. That’s why I am so excited to be working at Linnett Loving, leveraging our talents to help local governments across the country. 

Beyond my passion for public administration, I’m a father to identical twin boys, working on home projects, and traveling. I love to work with my hands because it quiets my mind’s never-ending quest to identify and solve problems. I also love experiencing new people and places; I believe every person and place has unique value. 

Virginia is now, as it has always been, my home base, no matter where I am in the world. I travel frequently but always end up coming home, eventually. 

Let’s connect! I’d love to talk more about our mutual passions.