Research shows that a strong internal culture focused on high performance is critical to the effective delivery of essential public services. In times of stress or transition, that healthy culture works to keep the mission on track and employees engaged. Leaders at every level can follow practical strategies and evidence-based practices to improve the organizational health of their teams and support their employees at the same time.
Federal News Network and WAEPA will convene a panel of federal officials and expert researchers to discuss strategies for building and maintaining healthy organizations in every situation. The video presentation will become the basis for a webinar your federal colleagues can view at no charge.
The founder and executive chairman of Govini, a provider of acquisition data and software to the government, has been arrested and charged with four felonies, including multiple counts of unlawful contact with a minor.
Eric T. Gillespie, 57, of Pittsburgh, allegedly used an online chat platform to attempt to solicit sexual contact with a pre-teenage girl.
Eric T. Gillespie, 57, is the founder of Govini and was charged with four felonies.
The Pennsylvania’s Attorneys General Office says at arraignment, a magisterial district judge denied Gillespie bail, citing flight risk and public safety concerns.
The attorneys general says one of their agents “posed as an adult in an online chat platform often utilized by offenders attempting to arrange meetings with children, and engaged in a conversation with Gillespie. Gillespie then made attempts to arrange a meeting with a pre-teenage girl (in Lebanon County).”
Govini said in an updated statement late on Wednesday that it had fired Gillespie.
“On November 12, 2025, the Govini Board of Directors terminated Eric Gillespie from the organization, including as a member of the Board, effective immediately. Mr. Gillespie stepped down from the role of CEO almost a decade ago and had no access to classified information,” a company spokesperson said. “Govini is an organization that has been built by over 250 people who share a profound commitment to America’s national security, including veterans, reservists, and people who have dedicated their lives to causes greater than themselves. The actions of one depraved individual should not in any way diminish the hard work of the broader team and their commitment to the security of the United States of America.”
Poplicus Inc., which does business as Govini, had 26 contracts with the government in fiscal 2025 worth about $52 million, according to the USASpending.gov platform. The vast majority of the awards came from the Defense Department, with two other smaller contracts coming from the departments of Commerce and Energy.
Govini’s main DoD customers include the Army, the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Navy.
Since 2021, Govini has won 107 awards worth more than $255 million.
The company said in October that it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and secured a $150 million investment from Bain Capital.
Gillespie launched Govini in 2013 after launching Recovery.org back in the early days of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
If convicted, Gillespie would spend at a minimum seven years in jail and face up to $15,000 in fines. After serving time, he would have to register as a sex offender for at least 10 years under Pennsylvania law.
Feel like taking your creativity level… a bit higher? Available for booking beginning this week, Seth Rogen partnered with Airbnb to unveil “A High-ly Creative Retreat,” providing a unique getaway in Los Angeles with ceramic activities.
The retreat features a ceramic studio with Rogen’s own handmade pottery, a display of his cannabis and lifestyle company Houseplant’s unique Housegoods, as well as mid-century furnishings, and “sprawling views of the city.”
The Airbnb is probably a lot cheaper than you think: Rogen will host three, one-night stays on February 15, 16, and 17 for two guests each for just $42—one decimal point away from 420—with some restrictions. U.S. residents can book an overnight stay at Rogen’s Airbnb beginning Feb. 7, but book now, because it’s doubtful that open slots will last.
“I don’t know what’s more of a Houseplant vibe than a creative retreat at a mid-century Airbnb filled with our Housegoods, a pottery wheel, and incredible views of LA,” Rogen said. “Add me, and you’ll have the ultimate experience.”
According to the listing, and his Twitter account, Rogen will be there to greet people and even do ceramics together.
“I’m teaming up with Airbnb so you (or someone else) can hang out with me and spend the night in a house inspired by my company,” Rogen tweeted recently.
Guests will be provided with the following activities:
Get glazed in the pottery studio and receive pointers from Rogen himself!
Peruse a selection of Rogen’s own ceramic masterpieces, proudly displayed within the mid-century modern home.
Relax and revel in the sunshine of the space’s budding yard.
Tune in and vibe out to a collection of Houseplant record sets with specially curated tracklists by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg and inspired by different cannabis strains. Guests will get an exclusive first listen to their new Vinyl Box Set Vol. 2.
Satisfy cravings with a fully-stocked fridge for after-hours snacks.
Airbnb plans to join in on Rogen’s charity efforts, including his non-profit Hilarity for Charity, focusing on helping people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
“In celebration of this joint effort, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to Hilarity for Charity, a national non-profit on a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates, and be a leader in brain health research and education,” Airbnb wrote.
In 2021, Rogen launched Houseplant, his cannabis and lifestyle company, in the U.S. But the cannabis brand’s web traffic was so high that the site crashed. Houseplant was founded by Rogen and his childhood friend Evan Goldberg, along with Michael Mohr, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee.
Yahoo! Newsreports, however, that Airbnb does not (cough, cough) allow cannabis on the premises of listings. The listing, however, will be filled with goods from Houseplant. Houseplant also sells luxury paraphernalia with a “mid-century modern spin.”
People living in the U.S. can request to book stays at airbnb.com/houseplant. Guests are responsible for their own travel to and from Los Angeles, California and comply with applicable COVID-19 rules and guidelines.
During a California court appearance Monday, when questioned about a 420 tweet, Elon Musk suddenly forgot the significance of the number in pot culture. The tech billionaire responded after being cornered by a prosecutor representing Tesla employees for a class action lawsuit alleging he tweeted and misled shareholders about the price of Tesla shares.
The fiasco began several years ago. In 2018, Musk rounded up Tesla shares from $419 to $420, announcing his plan to go private in a tweet. “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420,” Musk tweeted on Aug. 7, 2018. “Funding secured.”—sending officials from The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into a tailspin.
Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.
Musk said he tweeted the share price based on what he said was a “firm commitment” from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to take Tesla private. But about 10 days later, Musk admitted that the Tesla buyout he had envisioned wasn’t going to materialize.
After an investigation, the SEC fined Musk $40 million, forcing the billionaire to step down as chair of Tesla’s board. The SEC said that Musk misled investors. In the SEC’s complaint, Musk was accused of rounding up the share price to $420 from $419 “because he had recently learned about the number’s significance in marijuana culture.”
Musk caused instantaneous uproar about a month later, sparking a blunt with Joe Rogan on his show “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Sept. 3, 2018, shocking Tesla investors and officials across the board. His troubles didn’t end there. High Times asked if it was “the most expensive blunt of all time” due to the fallout, with NASA- and SpaceX-associated officials reviewing his security clearance.
The Verge reports that Nicholas Porritt is an attorney for a class of Tesla investors suing Musk for millions of dollars that they say resulted from his failure to take Tesla private.
The courtroom got tense: “You rounded up to 420 because you thought that would be a joke that your girlfriend will enjoy, isn’t that correct?” Porritt asked. “No,” Musk said, adding, “there is some, I think, karma around 420. I should question whether that is good or bad karma at this point.”
Musk said that 420 wasn’t a weed joke, but a roughly 20% premium on the $419 stock price at the time. “420 was not chosen because of a joke,” Musk testified. “It was chosen because there was a 20 percent premium over the stock price.” Musk also claimed that it was a “coincidence.”
The jury will decide if Musk should have to pay out up to billions of dollars in damages to Tesla shareholders for the money they lost due to his tweets.
Judge Edward Chen ruled that the jury should be aware that Musk’s 2018 tweets are false. Jurors will now need to decide whether Musk deceived Tesla shareholders because of his tweets.
Musk said that he was not relying on a commitment for the Saudi PIF when he tweeted “funding secured,” adding that his shares in SpaceX would also help fund the deal to take Tesla private. “Just as I sold stock in Tesla to buy Twitter… I didn’t want to sell Tesla stock, but I did sell Tesla stock,” Musk said. “My SpaceX shares alone would have meant that funding was secured.”
Musk has also been sued by a group of former Twitter employees after a mass firing. Musk recently became the CEO of Twitter after buying the platform for $44 billion in October 2022. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz is Twitter’s second-largest shareholder after Musk.
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