Day in the Life: Product Manager at CentralSquare, Joshua Nilson

It’s easy to view large organizations like CentralSquare as a faceless entity, especially before you’ve had the pleasure of interacting with one of our employees. But unseen by customers and prospects, our people work hard to develop and curate solutions for the public sector.

Each staff member has a different background. Every employee has a unique reason for the passion that fuels their work. For some, it stems from past careers in public safety or administration. Others simply understand how their work positively impacts communities.

This is the third article in our “Day in the Life” blog series, where you get a glimpse behind the scenes. In each of these articles, we’ll highlight a single employee so you can learn more about the people and the passion that keep CentralSquare running.

Today, we’re excited to spotlight Joshua Nilson, a Product Manager for Vertex NG911, ProSuite and CryWolf. Keep reading to see our interview with Joshua, and to learn about his dedication to product management and development.

Q: What is your role at CentralSquare?

“I’m the product manager for Vertex NG911, ProSuite and CryWolf. I’ve worked with CentralSquare since 2014, starting out in implementation and the services team. In 2020, I took my first role on the product team as a Product Owner. I transitioned to a Product Manager position in 2024 and added Vertex NG911 to my wheelhouse. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to expand my understanding of emergency response on a full spectrum.”

Q: What are the top challenges facing Finance Directors in 2025?

“Many finance directors have concerns with understaffing. Public safety is in the middle of a hiring and retention crisis, and it can be difficult to staff enough people to do the necessary work.

“Staffing is a challenge for law enforcement, especially. Officers often face burnout as they work extra hours to compensate for unfilled jobs.

“Despite being understaffed, there’s an increased expectation for officers to respond to a wider range of calls, including mental health crises, and each response requires a different level of expertise.”

Q: How will AI technology impact public safety officers?

“Public safety professionals can use AI to help with ancillary tasks like narrative writing or routing non-emergency 911 calls to the appropriate contacts. Tools like Centerline AI make life easier for police officers, letting them focus on things like community engagement instead of administration. Solutions like CitizenLink AI can help dispatchers focus on emergency calls. In both of these examples, AI reduces the burden of understaffing and the chances of burnout.”

Q: What 911 industry trends are you excited about?

“I’m excited to see the industry embracing cloud solutions and looking for new ways to integrate AI into their workflows. The transition to the cloud is helping agencies reduce costs and protect their data from increasingly sophisticated outside attackers. Using AI as an assistant can automate small tasks that can then be reviewed. With Centerline AI, law enforcement officers don’t need to spend hours transcribing footage or writing reports from scratch. It saves time so they can engage in more things in their communities without the pressures and burdens of being overworked.”

Q: What are your 2025 goals?

“I want to continue leveraging new tools into our product portfolio, so that Vertex NG911 can be the market leader in 911 call handling solutions, and so we can provide the toolsets agencies need before they even ask!”

Get Started Today

Stay tuned for more employee spotlights in our Day in the Life series. Until then, discover for yourself why employees like Joshua have dedicated themselves to developing a suite of Public Safety products.

Between ProSuite, Vertex NG911, and CryWolf, CentralSquare has comprehensive, industry-leading solutions built for the specific needs of public safety professionals. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CentralSquare can help your agency save time and money.