Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Aaron McGowan is now a wearer of many hats. Currently, Aaron works as a consultant, designer, developer and a public speaker within the mobile and web sector. He frequently advocates through engagement, conferences and public speaking for the use of open source technologies, such as Drupal and WordPress; and a transparent, collaborative and participatory government.

Currently residing in London, Ontario, Aaron has worked with a variety of businesses and non-profit organizations to solve complex problems with simple strategies and solutions. From entrepreneurs and startups to Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Aaron has worked with a variety of organizations to implement these solutions that solve a specific problem, streamline business processes, prototype experimental solutions, and/or engage with a target audience through creative and interactive design.

Aaron’s work has been the topic of conversations within organizations and political campaigns, featured by a variety of media outlets and research publications. From local newspapers to national media outlets like CBC Radio, Aaron’s work has grabbed the attention of thousands. Examples of such work is the development of a mobile application called NextStop – London Transit Guide, and the experimental use of the National Pollutants Release Inventory data through a Microsoft sponsored open data application.

Aaron is also frequently asked to speak and write about open source technology, Government 2.0 and Open Government. From speaking engagements at the University of Western Ontario to conferences like OpenGovWest, Aaron has provided engaging and inspiring presentations which have been viewed by hundreds of people across a multitude of industries. Aaron has also published articles on similar topics which have reached numerous readers in many countries.

Aaron’s intentions are too leverage creative designs, cutting-edge technology and open source, to assist governments, non-profit organizations and businesses in revenue growth, streamline processes and reach their target audience with engaging and interactive design.