The first-ever Confluent Public Sector Summit brought together over 160 participants from diverse backgrounds to discuss harnessing the power of data to empower government missions. The event highlighted several key themes, including trust, AI success dependent on clean and trustworthy data, and the need for training the whole workforce to understand how to use data products. Chief Data Officers (CDOs) shared their experiences in shaping data strategies within their organizations, emphasizing the importance of building trust among stakeholders and creating accessible data platforms. The summit also discussed security, resiliency, and efficiency in data sharing, with a focus on implementing standards and governance to define what data gets shared and with whom. Various panelists showcased innovative solutions using Apache Kafka, highlighting its impact on immediacy in data sharing and mission success.