Projects

The Opportunity Project in Cities

November 2020 – Present
Supporting design and implementation of the TOPCities program, based on the Census Innovation Lab’s Opportunity Project, in the cities of St. Paul and San Jose. Convening technologists, city governments, and community partners to co-design and develop tools to solve local challenges using public data. Documenting and sharing best practices for cross-sector collaboration and tech development for social good with a lens of equity and meaningful community participation. Beeck Center for Social Impact with support from the Knight Foundation.

State Chief Data Officers’ Network

February 2020 – Present
Advising curriculum design for the State CDO Network’s Data Labs program. Previously developed research and best practices for states to use data for economic mobility and recovery, including by producing research on data-sharing, integrated data systems, open data, and data governance strategies. Produced a report to help State Chief Data Officers apply public data to support economic recovery from COVID-19 and a guidebook for states to leverage open data for recovery. Beeck Center for Social Impact with support from the Gates Foundation.

Past

Data Futures Lab Ecosystem & Demand Research

October 2020 – March 2021
Led research to map the ecosystem of technological development around alternative data governance models that rebalance power in extractive data relationships. Conducted qualitative interviews with subject matter experts, technologists, and intermediaries to understand relationships and existing supports across the field of alternative data governance. Delivered recommendations to inform the launch of the Data Futures Lab. Report. Mozilla Foundation Insights Team.

Community Data Strategy for Recovery

June 2020 – August 2020
Led research on recommendations for Harris County and the City of Houston’s recovery efforts from the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on data to track access to childcare, the digital divide, housing, and food. Spoke with community groups and service providers to determine shared performance metrics and opportunities for collaborative data governance and data-sharing. January Advisors, with support from the Greater Houston Partnership.

Global Digital Marketplace Programme Discoveries

January 2020 – August 2020
Conducted qualitative assessments of local government procurement processes in Penang, Malaysia. Supported research and report-writing to find opportunities for tactical reforms to technology procurement and data systems. Development Gateway, with support from the Governmental Digital Service UK

Shock Forest Group Residency

September 2019 – December 2019
Held a three-month residency at Het HEM, a cultural institution in Zaandam, to conduct research on the history of the EuroMetaal bullet factory and forest. Formed a collective called the Shock Forest Group and produced a research-based exhibit called No Camouflage and held local events to engage community members to explore findings through data and art. Artistic research residency with support from Het HEM.

What Works Cities Initiative

December 2016 – September 2019
Led the Open Cities team in launching two new suites of public resources, the Open Data Policy Hub and the Roadmap to Informed Communities, to support advocates, practitioners, and city governments in replicating successful policies and strategies for transparency and open government for community empowerment.

As a senior policy analyst, developed an original strategic framework for community-centered problem-solving with open data called Tactical Data Engagement, and implemented four pilot projects with city governments to refine and update the final framework.

As a policy analyst, conducted hands-on technical assistance with participating What Works cities to draft, generate buy-in, and pass open data policies, applying best practices for transparent and participatory data governance, open data, and community engagement. Sunlight Open Cities, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Open Contracting Reform in U.S. Cities

July 2018 to July 2019
Launched and led a new project to help two pilot cities, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, apply open data and governance reforms to improve e-procurement, publish open contracting data, and make procurement more effective at meeting residents’ needs. Sunlight Open Cities, with support from the Open Contracting Partnership.

Open Smart Cities Summit

September 2018
Co-hosted an Open Smart Cities Summit as a pre-event to the International Open Data Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, gathering international civil society partners to establish values and best practices for the future of urban tech in public spaces. Led foundational research on smart cities policy. Sunlight Open Cities, with support from partner organizations.

National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership

July 2014 – December 2016
Supported day-to-day management of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, a national learning network of local data intermediaries to support the implementation of best practices in sharing neighborhood indicators and open data. Supported the launch of the Civic Tech and Data Collaborative with partners from NNIP, Code for America, and Living Cities. Contributed to first drafts of a civic tech and data collaborative framework to operationalize strategies for cultivating effective open data and civic tech ecosystems. Urban Institute, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, with support from Macarthur Foundation.