After more than five years away, I was happy to return to Drupal GovCon, hosted on the beautiful campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. The event brought together an incredible mix of government technologists, open source enthusiasts, and Drupal community members—all with plenty of hot topics (especially AI) to dig into.
Pre-Conference Connections
I landed Wednesday afternoon and worked from the hotel before heading to Hancho House for dinner with friends and fellow Drupalers: Martin Anderson-Clutz (mandclu) and Jacob Rockowitz (jrockowitz). It set the stage for a great couple of days ahead.
Day One: Learning, Sharing & Connecting
Morning Sessions
I walked over to the Stamp Student Union Thursday morning, checked in, and was off to sessions.
AI Crawlers Are Breaking .Gov Websites — What You Can Do About It by Matt West (mattdanger)
This session explored how AI crawlers interact with facets and exposed filters, often causing problems for .gov websites. Matt highlighted the Facet Bot Blocker module—a solution I was reminded we had covered on Talking Drupal.Image
- Enhancing Code Reusability on SBA.gov Using Single Directory Components and Recipes by Bernardo Martinez (bernardm28) & Andrew Predmore (rolodmonkey)
This talk on Single Directory Components and Recipes showed how they can work together to streamline feature releases. It offered fresh perspectives I can’t wait to incorporate into my next project.
Day One Keynote
The opening keynote from Wes Ruvalcaba (wesruv), Rethinking & Confident Humility: The Structure that Made My Work Better, explored his career journey and how our brains process information in different ways. Wes highlighted how understanding these thinking patterns can improve teamwork, leadership, and decision-making. He also shared practical examples from his own experience, illustrating how these insights can make projects run smoother and help teams thrive.
Afternoon Sessions
- Human First, AI Enhanced: Managing Tech Teams in 2025 by Rolando Scott (rolandoscott)
He shared strategies for leading teams as AI becomes a bigger part of our work, emphasizing experimentation while setting boundaries. His talk balanced AI’s potential with practical advice on avoiding misuse and keeping people at the center of the process. - How LLMs and Generative Engines Are Changing Search and SEO by Stephen Pashby (stephenpashby)
This session was packed with data and trends showing how AI and generative engines are reshaping search and SEO. The speaker explained how AI-driven search features, like AIO (AI Overview), are changing user behavior and impacting click-through rates. His key takeaway: don’t obsess over metrics like CTR—instead, focus on consistently producing high-quality, valuable content that meets user needs. The talk offered concrete examples and actionable tips for adapting SEO strategies in an AI-influenced landscape.
My Session at GovCon
I capped off day one with my own session, The Path from Developer to Drupal Evangelist, co-presented with Martin Anderson-Clutz (mandclu). Together, we shared our experiences moving from developer roles into architecture and more sales- and community-focused positions. Presenting with Martin was a lot of fun, and the audience engaged with thoughtful questions and lively discussion afterward, making it one of the highlights of the day.
💡 Note: It was Martin's birthday, and a few Easter eggs were added to engage the audience. Watch the video to enjoy all the fun.
Day One Social Event
The day wrapped up with a great Acquia-hosted party—food, drinks, games, and (of course) lots of conversations about Drupal, AI, and community.
Day Two: More AI, Puppies, and Inspiration
Morning Sessions
From Search to Ask: How AI Chat Agents Are Transforming Web Experiences by John Doyle (_doyle_)
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John explored AI-powered chat agents, highlighting their value not just for improving user experiences, but also as insightful tools for user research. One quote in particular stood out:
Artificial Intelligence is not a replacement for humans. It’s about amplifying human potential. — Amir Husain
I couldn’t agree more with this perspective—AI works best when it enhances what humans can do, rather than replacing us.
Mapping Success: Building Effective Product Roadmaps for Drupal Projects by Zachary Grimshaw
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This session was a refreshing break from the AI-heavy talks. Zachary’s advice on product roadmaps was full of practical gems, including this memorable tip:
The best roadmaps are written in pencil, not permanent marker. Like puppy training, be prepared to adapt!
The puppy-themed examples added a fun touch, making the advice both memorable and enjoyable.
Day Two Keynote
The day’s keynote, Climb When You Want to Camp: Civic Tech's Survival Plan by Lauren Moffeo, was both personal and inspiring. Lauren shared her own journey, including how she got involved with GovCon and civic tech, and the challenges she faced along the way. She reminded us of the importance of persistence, stewardship of open source, and the value of continuing to “climb” even when things get hard. Her story was a powerful reminder of why we do this work and the impact we can have when we stay committed.
Continuing the Day After Puppy Puns, an Inspiring Keynote, and Lunch
- Accelerating AI-Powered Chatbots in Drupal by Rob Morris (robbymo)
This demo of the AWS Bedrock Chat Module, which integrates AWS Bedrock with Drupal to deliver knowledge base–powered chatbots, was really impressive. Rob showed how it could pull responses directly from a knowledge base of client files, making it simple to deliver accurate, context-specific answers. Seeing it in action inspired me to explore all the practical ways I could use this on future projects.. LLMs, VectorDBs, Prompts, MCP, Agents – Oh My! by Michael Schmid (schnitzel)
A perfect intro (or crash course) to the alphabet soup of AI. Michael broke down complex terms into plain English, shared ways to avoid AI hallucinations, and offered architectures for reliable results. It was one of my favorite talks of the event.Image
Day Two Social Event
The day closed with another lively social—this time hosted by our friends at Evolving Web. Pizza, drinks, and more Drupal conversations capped off a great conference.
Wrapping Up
With two days of packed sessions, inspiring keynotes, and fun community events, Drupal GovCon 2025 was a fantastic experience. The event remains free to attend thanks to the incredible work of organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and speakers.
They even raffled off a trip to Disney! 🎉
If you’ve never attended GovCon, I highly recommend adding it to your list of Drupal events. I’m grateful to everyone who made it possible and can’t wait for the next one
Until then—keep on Drupaling!
