In the high-stakes world of public-sector human capital management, few transitions carry as much weight as that of Reid Walsh, who traded the scrutiny of Pennsylvania state government for the chief HR officer role at NEOGOV, a dominant player in government HR software. Walsh’s journey underscores a growing trend: seasoned public officials channeling their expertise into private tech firms serving the very systems they once ran. With NEOGOV powering hiring for entities like the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania itself, Walsh’s insights are reshaping how governments deploy HCM tools amid talent shortages and tech disruptions.

Walsh joined NEOGOV in 2023, arriving amid a period of turbulence including a major acquisition and a shift to remote work from the company’s El Segundo, California headquarters. His mandate: stabilize culture, codify standard operating procedures, overhaul payroll, and supercharge hiring to align HR with business growth. ‘Being aware enough and involved enough, and honestly, having the superpower of intuition and impact to be able to address things when you could do everything,’ Walsh told HR Brew.

His public-sector pedigree is impeccable. Walsh entered HR mid-career through a part-time gig managing Tom Wolf’s gubernatorial campaign, ascending to Deputy Secretary of Human Resources and Management. There, he oversaw HR for 80,000 employees across 21 unions, consolidating 26 agency HR operations into a shared-services model, crafting a four-year HR strategy, and pioneering data-driven service delivery, according to a profile in HR Daily Advisor.

Mastering Crisis in Public Service

Walsh’s tenure in Pennsylvania peaked during the Covid-19 pivot, where he orchestrated remote transitions for 26,000 employees, swapping in-person trainings for virtual sessions. He testified before legislative committees on budgets and policies, all under intense public gaze. A standout: legislative reforms slashing time-to-hire, accelerating citizen services. ‘I am really proud of the changes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that I helped make from a legislative perspective, so that we could be more efficient in how we hired employees,’ he said in the HR Brew interview.

These experiences directly inform NEOGOV’s platform, a cloud-based HCM suite tailored for public entities, handling applicant tracking via Insight, onboarding with Onboard, performance via Perform, and more. Pennsylvania’s Office of Administration relies on NEOGOV for internal and non-civil service postings, as noted on its official site hrm.oa.pa.gov. Walsh’s insider knowledge ensures the software addresses pain points like compliance, scalability, and rapid adaptation.

At NEOGOV, Walsh dispels HR myths. ‘People often think HR is just about compliance, policies, and paperwork. In reality, my role is deeply strategic. I partner with leadership to make sure our people strategy directly supports our business strategy,’ he emphasized to HR Brew. His focus: interventions boosting employee happiness, engagement, and results over rote tasks.

NEOGOV’s Empire in Government HR

NEOGOV, founded in 2000 by Ward Komers and Damir Davidovic, has ballooned into a powerhouse, serving over 13,000 organizations by 2022 with SaaS tools for recruiting, onboarding, payroll, and compliance. Its GovernmentJobs.com portal fills about 40% of state and local government roles from 2022-2024, per Wikipedia. Acquisitions like FirstNet Learning (2017), High Line (2018), PlanIt Schedule, Agency360, and CueHit (2022), and Discover eGov (2023) fortified its public-safety and HR arsenal.

Private equity fueled the ascent: Warburg Pincus invested in 2016, leading to multiple Inc. 5000 nods. In July 2025, EQT and CPP Investments acquired it from Warburg Pincus and Carlyle for $3 billion, signaling robust valuation amid public-sector digitization demands, as reported on Wikipedia. CEO Shane Evangelist steers the ship, with StateRAMP and TxRAMP authorizations affirming security for sensitive data.

Walsh credits mentor Sharon Minnick, his former cabinet secretary and now Vice Chancellor for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, for shaping his approach, per HR Daily Advisor. Her influence honed Walsh’s stakeholder management and change leadership, vital as NEOGOV eyes AI integration.

AI’s Promise and Perils in HR Tech

Walsh is bullish on data elevating HR: ‘HR will only play more of a role as we move forward. The more data we can produce, the more we will have a seat at the table… So it’s incumbent on us as HR leaders to be tied into AI—how are you embracing the technology,’ he told HR Brew. Yet caution prevails: ‘I’m cautious about the growing reliance on technology and AI without keeping people at the center… we can’t lose the human connection that defines great workplaces. HR is about people first.’

This balanced view aligns with NEOGOV’s evolution. Recent updates, like January 8, 2026 payroll enhancements for Secure 2.0 Rothification, show ongoing innovation, per NEOGOV Community. The platform’s unified dashboard and HTTP/2 upgrades prioritize efficiency and security for government users.

Walsh’s fulfillment stems from impact: ‘Seeing the impact of my work. Watching our employees become happier and more engaged in their day-to-day work brings me a lot of joy.’ For public HR leaders, his playbook—strategic intuition, tech-human balance—offers a blueprint as NEOGOV cements dominance in a sector craving modernization.

Public-to-Private Synergies Reshaping HCM

Walsh embodies a broader shift: public HR veterans fortifying tech firms amid talent wars. Pennsylvania’s NEOGOV reliance exemplifies circular dynamics—Walsh streamlined state hiring partly via NEOGOV tools, now enhances them from inside. Challenges persist: unions, scrutiny, and bespoke needs demand tailored solutions, areas where NEOGOV excels over private-sector generics.

As 2026 unfolds, with NEOGOV’s 25th anniversary and Ignite conference looming, Walsh’s leadership positions the firm to capture more market share. His Pennsylvania overhaul—shared services, telework—mirrors NEOGOV’s modular suite, proving public lessons scale commercially.