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Moar Reading in 2023
In the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to read more books. Here’s what I have done to pick my reading habit back up. Maybe one of these strategies will work for you if, like I once did, you miss being a reader. Continue reading
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Civic Hacking Nostalgia
The PhilTel project is a reminder of the power of civic hacking to highlight ways that cities can be better. To show how innovative thinking can foster creative solutions to complex problems. Let’s not forget. Continue reading
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Ethics and Algorithms
Who do we hold accountable for decisions that get made or actions that are taken by government when some part of the decision making has been ceded to an algorithm? And because the consequences of algorithm use in government are now much more immediate for specific individuals, how do we ensure that their use is… Continue reading
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Finding Balance In How We Budget for Government IT
When we talk about the government budgeting process, we almost always talk about the first three phases. But the often overlooked fourth phase of the budget process is one reason why cross-agency funding for things like a better customer experience is so hard. Continue reading
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Crisis-driven Technology Investment
It has never been more important for people in the civic tech community to understand the public budgeting process, to know the actors and the influencers, and have tactics for influencing budget outcomes, then it is right now. Continue reading
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Mashed Potatoes and Digital Modernization
So much of the work we do to improve government digital services involves breaking big things down into smaller pieces. Continue reading
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More Writing, Less Words
More posts. Shorter words. It’s time to leave the bird site and all the bad habits I picked up there behind. Continue reading
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Platforms: More value, more quickly, more securely
This post will focus on how platforms enable agencies to move more quickly and address some of the specific challenges facing product teams as they build digital services. Continue reading
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Accelerating the ATO process with a platform approach
Embracing a platform approach can help agencies lower barriers to deployment of software and more efficiently deliver important services to the public. Continue reading
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Complexity and (Potential) Corruption
The more burdensome, lengthy, or expensive a government process is, the more opportunities there are for powerful individuals to use their influence to obtain more favorable treatment. Complexity is the fertile ground in which the seeds of corruption can find purchase. Continue reading
About Me
I am the former Chief Data Officer for the City of Philadelphia. I also served as Director of Government Relations at Code for America, and as Director of the State of Delaware’s Government Information Center. For about six years, I served in the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), and helped pioneer their work with state and local governments. I also led platform evangelism efforts for TTS’ cloud platform, which supports over 30 critical federal agency systems.
Civic Innovations 