In this episode of We Are the Government, host Dipka Hesse speaks with Gabriel Sandler, former spokesperson at the State Department, about his odyssey through the federal government, starting as a Peace Corp. volunteer in the country of Madagascar.

Gabriel left Madagascar during the Covid pandemic only to slide right into federal service at the Department of Transportation which led him to the Department of Agriculture, and finally to the coveted position as a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in its now-eliminated Bureau of Energy Resources, where he worked on international energy communications.

Gabriel reflects on soft diplomacy, the role of civil servants across administrations, and why addressing baseline issues—such as food security, clean water, and reliable energy—creates the conditions for broader social and economic progress.

The conversation also explores how federal experience continues to shape work in the private sector and why public service remains foundational to American governance.

This podcast is produced as a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary, preserving the stories and contributions of those who have helped build our Republic.

• Host: Dipka Hesse

• X: @DBHesse

• LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/dipkabhambhani⁠

• YouTube: @theenergyodyssey

Thank you to our great team who helped make this episode possible. A special thanks to Mathew John for his creative counsel and support, without which this wouldn’t be possible.

• Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro (richard@richard.taliaferro.com)

• Graphic Artist: David Zerba (zebra.david@gmail.com)

• Editor: Axel Soderland (axelfromdc@gmail.com )

#PublicServiceStories #FederalCareers #Diplomacy #ClimateAndEnergy #CivilServants #GovernmentLeadership #PolicyCareers #PublicImpact #WeAreTheGovernment

What do brownfield sites, zoning codes, school siting rules, and post-disaster rebuilding have in common?

According to Dr. Matthew Dalbey, former senior advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency and founder of Corner Shop Strategies, they’re all issues he had to confront to help protect the environment and inspire economic growth in communities across the country as land use decisions shape public health, economic opportunity, and long-term risk.

In this episode, Dalbey unpacks 20 years at the EPA. He talks about EPA’s “Smart Growth” work: helping communities redevelop underused sites, modernize zoning barriers, and design safer, more walkable places.

Our conversation also explores how interagency collaboration works in practice, including EPA–FEMA partnerships after recurring floods and storms—where “build back” can unintentionally rebuild vulnerability unless local planning aligns with mitigation.

Finally, Dalby offers an insider view of how shifting federal priorities across administrations can change what’s possible, and why certain climate-finance implementation choices created major operational challenges inside government.

This podcast is produced as a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary, preserving the stories and contributions of those who have helped build our Republic.

• Host: Dipka Hesse

• X: @DBHesse

• LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/dipkabhambhani⁠

• YouTube: @theenergyodyssey

Thank you to our great team who helped make this inaugural episode possible. A special thanks to David Padrusch and Mathew John for their support, without which this wouldn’t be possible.

• Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro (richard@richard.taliaferro.com)

• Graphic Artist: David Zerba (zebra.david@gmail.com)

• Editor: Axel Soderland (axelfromdc@gmail.com )

#Brownfields #SmartGrowth #EPA #FEMA #DisasterRecovery #ClimateResilience #LandUsePlanning #ZoningReform #CommunityDevelopment #PublicHealth #EconomicDevelopment #InfrastructurePlanning #FederalPolicy #InteragencyCollaboration

In this episode of We Are the Government, host Dipka Hesse speaks with David Nemtzow, a longtime clean energy technology and energy efficiency expert whose leadership at the U.S. Department of Energy has left an indelible footprint in the American clean energy sector.

David left the DOE in April 2025 after a decade in the federal government. During his tenure as a career civil servant, he managed the Virtual Power Plant program in the Department’s Loan Program Office and ran the Department’s Building Technologies Office, which aimed to make U.S. buildings more energy efficient.

David discusses how energy efficiency and clean energy policy move from ideas to execution inside the government. He shares his experience as a civil servant and the delicate dance that is working with political appointees from the Obama, Biden and Trump administrations.

David discusses his experience leading the Alliance to Save Energy in a much more cordial Washington of the 1990s, and he brings a twist of color to the conversation sharing his experience as a political appointee in Australia. Spoiler alert: America and Australia’s federal system work very differently.

#WeAreTheGovernment #EnergyPolicy #CleanEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #PolicyImplementation #PublicService #GovernmentInnovation

This podcast is produced as a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary, preserving the stories and contributions of those who have helped build our Republic.

• Host: Dipka Hesse
• X: @DBHesse
• LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/dipkabhambhani⁠
• YouTube: @theenergyodyssey

Thank you to our great team who helped make this inaugural episode possible. A special thanks to David Padrusch and Mathew John for their support, without which this wouldn’t be possible.

• Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro (richard@richard.taliaferro.com)
• Graphic Artist: David Zerba (zebra.david@gmail.com)
• Editor: Axel Soderland (axelfromdc@gmail.com )