I’ve got two passions in life: public policy wonkery and building things. I decided to work in public policy because the stakes of public problems are simply too high. Markets work incredibly well to foster solutions to a very specific domain of problem. When some product can be excluded from those not paying; when oneRead… Read more »
In following the conversations with over 500 members of the broader civic tech network at the 2013 Code for America Summit , I was struck by a shared commitment from the community: a commitment to speak candidly and honestly about the barriers we must address and the collaboration required to reduce those barriers. Many challengesRead… Read more »
Hello, my name is CJ Bryan and I am proud to be a part of this year’s set of Code for America Fellows. I’ve been fascinated with both the computers and governments for a long time. They’re both amazing machines that enable us to do things that we might never have imagined. I’ve always strivedRead… Read more »
I was born in India. The first 18 years of my life were spent there. It is no secret that corruption is rampant in that part of the world. Inefficient processes in government encourage corrupt practices like bribery. Lack of transparency with data lets government officials get away with corruption. On good days, these illsRead… Read more »
Three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, I was standing on a street in the Lower 9th Ward. Besides my three colleagues and myself, there was no one around. It was eerily quiet — I distinctly remember the sound of a roof vent creaking in the breeze. Piles of debris, abandoned cars, and empty, floodedRead… Read more »
Three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, I was standing on a street in the Lower 9th Ward. Besides my three colleagues and myself, there was no one around. It was eerily quiet — I distinctly remember the sound of a roof vent creaking in the breeze. Piles of debris, abandoned cars, and empty, floodedRead… Read more »
When I moved overseas, data.gov had just launched in the U.S., and I found similar initiatives in New Zealand during my time there. Digital New Zealand, an initiative funded by the government, created web-based means for people to create mashups that make existing digital content from government and elsewhere more accessible. DigitalNZ and data.gov goesRead… Read more »
I wanted to be a Code for America fellow before I truly appreciated the organization’s mission and work. The Fellowship appeared to be a professional challenge, allowing me to collaborate with computer programmers instead of policy wonks. I only really learned how technology could transform communities after working on the State Broadband Initiative in SouthRead… Read more »
When Jen Pahlka asked 2011 Fellow Scott Silverman why he’d chosen to leave Apple for a year at Code for America, he said “Because I believe interfaces to government can be simple, beautiful, and easy to use.” That line has become a mantra for us, but it has been given new urgency as our 2013Read… Read more »
My proudest professional achievement was seeing dozens of laughing children playing in a brand new neighborhood park, in a part of town that badly needed one. Creating neighborhoods that are safe, fun, and healthy ensures our cities will become vibrant and sustainable. The process of creating these livable spaces is a difficult one though, withRead… Read more »