Speaker Bio

Bob Lavigna is an award-winning public-sector leader and innovator with more than 30 years of experience leading government organizations and programs. In his role as UKG® Public Sector Senior Fellow, Bob advocates for, promotes, and advises on effective practices that enable government organizations to attract and retain talent.

His book, Engaging Government Employees: Motivate and Inspire Your People to Achieve Superior Performance (Harper Collins Publishing), focuses exclusively on employee engagement in the public sector.

Bob previously was Director of the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, where he worked with state and local governments to measure and improve engagement as a key to maximizing organizational performance. He also previously served as Assistant Vice Chancellor – HR for the University of Wisconsin, Vice President of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, and Director of the Wisconsin civil service system.

Bob, who has a master’s degree in HR from Cornell University, is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and was selected as a “Public Official of the Year” by Governing magazine. He has spoken at conferences and events across the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean.

Connect with Bob on LinkedIn

See Bob Lavigna in Action

Get a sneak peek at the award-winning public sector leader, author and speaker as he describes the new world of work, the talent crisis in government – and how public-sector organizations can become employers of choice by creating great places to work.

Speaker Reviews for Bob

Bob consistently receives positive feedback from audience members. He had the highest rated session at the National Association of State Chief Administrators Conference 
(average score 4.58/5.0).

“Thanks again for the wonderfully engaging, thought provoking, and informative sessions today. They were the highlight of the day!”

Attendee
Association of Food and Drug Officials National Conference

“Fantastic session. The speaker was engaging, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I will be reaching out to him”

Attendee
Public Sector HR Association National Conference

“With confidence, I would endorse Bob Lavigna as a speaker for any group of local and/or state government officials looking for a deeper understanding of the current employment crisis in the public sector”

Director of Leadership Development
Association of County Commissioners of Georgia
Speaking Topics
Becoming an Employer of Choice in the New World of Work
Creating a Great Place to Work
Attracting and retaining talent
Creating a Positive Employee Experience
How Leaders Can Create Great Places to Work
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