The Code for America Summit is here! Several USDR teammates will be presenting at this year’s conference, including Hillary Hartley, CEO of U.S. Digital Response (USDR), joining the mainstage for an invigorating fireside chat alongside Lynn Overmann, executive director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, and Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America.
We’ll be at even more sessions and happy hours throughout the week — we’d love to say hi! Check out the places we know we’ll be this week. Keep an eye out for the USDR teammates on the ground:
Hillary Hartley
Tina Walha
Jessica Watson
Krista Canellakis
Rebecca Heywood
Marcie Chin
Madel Leal
Melissa House
Jenny Woo
Keith Wilson
Kristen Eberlin
➡️ Pre-Summit Workshops:
Workshop: Closing Government’s Technology Talent Gap
Tuesday, May 28, 2–5 PM
- Keith Wilson, Talent Engagement Manager, U.S. Digital Response
- Cass Madison, VP of Partnerships, TechTalent Project
- Christan Johnson, Director of State Partnerships, TechTalent Project
- Kirsten Wyatt, Senior Director of the Digital Service Network, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
More technologists than ever are re-evaluating their lives and seeking work with meaning. At the same time, governments are struggling to recruit, retain, and empower the 21st century technical workforce they need to meet their delivery goals. With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), the stakes are higher than ever.
Though challenging, this is a moment ripe with opportunity. By taking some simple steps, governments can transform their ability to hire the right people quickly.
This workshop will help government identify its gaps and build a plan for closing them, including getting connected to the people and organizations in the civic tech community that can support them. You will learn how government agencies can utilize tools to assess technical workforce gaps; delve deeply into specific strategies to recruit, retain, and empower technical talent; and explore real-world best practices for up-skilling current staff.
➡️ Sessions:
Mainstage: Leading the way forward
Thursday, May 30, 9:30–9:45
- Hillary Hartley, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Digital Response
- Lynn Overmann, Executive Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University
- Amanda Renteria, Chief Executive Officer, Code for America
Join this fireside chat as panelists share insights on the civic tech community’s progress and future direction. Discover the power of collaboration in shaping a digital age that works for all.
You can simplify your work with low-code tools (even if you think you’re not technical)
Wednesday, May 29, 11:30–12:30
- Melissa House, Solutions Engineer, U.S. Digital Response
- Jenny Woo, Volunteer and Talent Operations Manager, U.S. Digital Response
- Kristen Eberlin, Volunteers Team Lead, U.S. Digital Response
One of the most efficient ways to quickly build useful solutions for government is with low-code and no-code tools. They are inexpensive, and only require an understanding of your workflow and a willingness to learn. Many of them look a lot like spreadsheets! U.S. Digital Response partners have learned to extend their projects on their own and even build their own tools. It doesn’t take a background in technology, just subject matter expertise, a workflow that you need to automate, and willingness to learn. USDR government partners will talk about their experience with low-code tools, and then will work with participants to build a low-code tool, even if they think they’re not “technical.” Optional: Bring your laptop to participate in the hands-on portion of this session. An online guide will also be available if you’d like to observe and try the exercise after the session.
Serving the people by centering the people: Methods for honoring lived experience
Thursday, May 30, 1:30–2:30
- Madel Leal, Language Access UX Researcher, U.S. Digital Response
- Yuri Kim, Program Officer, Gates Foundation
- Adrien Haro, CEO, The Workers Lab
- Tyonka Perkins Rimawi, Program Director, Families and Workers Fund
- Victor Inuk Gavilanes, Community Advisory Group, Aspen Institute
Lived experience expertise is as important as traditionally recognized forms of expertise. To build a new age where government digital services better serve all) we must center the expertise of users and would-be users — especially ones who most struggle to get access — because the true experts are people who lead through those challenges. Centering their expertise leads to better problem solving and helps realize the distinctive vision they have for themselves) their families) and their communities. Join this session to learn about different methods for centering this expertise and to hear from one lived experience expert involved in this work.
Expanding language access in unemployment insurance with human-centered datasets and generative AI
Thursday, May 30, 3–4 PM
- Marcie Chin, Product Lead, Unemployment Insurance, U.S. Digital Response
- Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner, New Jersey Department Of Labor
- Barbara Niveyro, Bilingual Content Design Lead, Office of Innovation, State of New Jersey
Language barriers prevent millions from accessing critical services. While AI translation holds promise, generic models often fail marginalized groups. This presentation will demonstrate how human-centered datasets enable effective, responsible machine learning and generative AI applications. Speakers from the New Jersey Department of Labor and U.S. Digital Response will discuss the roles of user research, content strategy, and generative AI in producing accurate, simple unemployment insurance translations in New Jersey, making it easier for Spanish speakers to access benefits while reducing administrative overhead. We’ll share challenges, solutions, and best practices for multilingual data collection, curation, and model training, along with our vision for empowering public servants with emerging technologies to advance language justice in social safety net programs. Attendees will take away strategies for ethical applications of AI, open collaboration, and designing digital services that truly serve everyone.
➡️ Open Social Hours:
Civic Tech Trivia Night at the Code for America Summit!
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Doors open at 6:00 | Trivia at 7:00 | Event Close at 9:00
RSVP
The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Technologists for the Public Good, and U.S. Digital Response invite you to show off your trivia skills (or just join us for snacks and a beverage) at this hosted event at the Code for America Summit in Oakland, CA. Doors open at 6:00; trivia begins at 7:00. Teams will be randomly assigned to maximize the competition (and fun). An RSVP is required and space is limited, so please RSVP today!
Mosaic Mixer
May 29, 2024 at 7:30–9:30 PM MDT
RSVP
Mosaic Mixer is a safe space for ethnically diverse communities in civic tech to gather. Co-hosted by Nava and Code for America’s ERGs: earthtones, Juntos, and woven. Join us for networking, hor d’oeuvres, and beverages at this event for anyone who identifies as an ethnically diverse background, including Black, East Asian, Indigenous, Latinx, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and other underrepresented groups.
