How Roanoke Regional Commission is finding more time with GovAI

Virginia and Jeremy wanted AI to take some of the load

Virginia is the Operations Manager at the Regional Commission. She keeps several boards running, managing a steady stream of agendas, meetings, and minutes. It is careful, detailed work—and there is always more to do.

Jeremy is the Executive Director. His responsibilities span human resources, strategy, business operations, legislative outreach, and a 30-member board. Much of his day comes in 15-minute blocks, moving quickly from one task to another. He needed support that could keep pace.

Both saw an opportunity to use AI to reduce repetitive work and give their staff more capacity. They also wanted every staff member using one tool the Commission could trust, rather than choosing from free public platforms on their own. As a public organization, the Commission needed a responsible approach to using AI and handling information.

The Commission made GovAI its only approved AI tool

Virginia said GovAI stood out for two reasons: it is built for local-government work, and its privacy protections aligned with the Commission’s needs.

The Commission supported that decision with a clear policy: staff conduct AI-related work through GovAI. Instead of having to evaluate different tools or wonder what is appropriate to use, staff have one consistent platform and a clear place to begin.

Agendas, minutes, contracts, and budgets

Virginia uses GovAI every day. She built a custom agent for meeting minutes, which creates an initial draft across the different types of meetings she supports. Each set of minutes now begins with a ready draft that she can review, refine, and finalize.

She also uses GovAI to draft emails and agendas and to review contracts and other documents related to building work.

Jeremy uses GovAI to work through large datasets and complex budgets, as well as to draft and strengthen communications. That support makes a meaningful difference in a role where he often needs to move rapidly between priorities.

He also continues experimenting with new uses for GovAI. That curiosity has uncovered additional ways the platform can support the Commission’s work—including an unexpected project involving its photo archive.

Jeremy asked how to sort decades of photos

Jeremy wanted to make the Commission’s decades-old image library easier for staff to use in social media and newsletters. He began by asking GovAI how to approach the project.

That question led to a practical image-tagging workflow that made the collection more searchable and useful. Staff can now more easily organize photos and find relevant images to support communications work.

No one had planned this project as part of the original rollout. It began with one question and opened up a new way to manage an important organizational resource.

Training continued beyond the first session

The Commission began with two group training sessions, followed by one-on-one meetings so each staff member could apply GovAI to their own responsibilities. Regular surveys helped Virginia understand how employees were using the platform, identify where they needed support, and maintain engagement over time.

GovAI’s team remained closely involved throughout the rollout. Virginia described the service as exceptional compared with other services the Commission uses, specifically noting thorough follow-up responses and useful support resources.

That continued support made AI learning an ongoing process for staff—not a one-time training event.

Staff surveys indicated average time savings of one to two hours per person, per day. Jeremy also tracked his own time. During the first quarter, he estimated that GovAI saved him about a full workweek.

For someone whose day is divided into 15-minute blocks, that recovered time creates meaningful room for higher-value work, planning, and the issues that need an executive’s direct attention.

Nine months into the rollout, the Commission continues to learn and improve. Virginia plans another survey to capture updated results, and staff participate in GovAI webinars to keep strengthening their skills and finding practical new applications.

More capacity for a small team

Nine months ago, Virginia and Jeremy wanted AI to ease the burden on a small team. Today, staff are seeing what that looks like in their everyday work.

Virginia begins minutes with a tailored draft from her custom agent, regardless of the meeting type. Jeremy’s willingness to experiment helped transform decades of photos into a more organized, searchable communications resource. Across the Commission, staff surveys show that employees are recovering one to two hours a day for the work that requires their judgment, experience, and attention.

The Commission is still discovering what is possible. With continued learning and support from GovAI, Virginia, Jeremy, and their staff can keep finding practical ways to make AI useful in the work they do every day.