Civic Tech Chat

[Leah Bannon](https://twitter.com/leahbannon) leads an AMA featuring [Georgia Bullen](https://twitter.com/georgiamoon) and [Maya Wagoner](https://twitter.com/mayawagon, authors of the [More Than Code](https://morethancode.cc/report/executivesummary/) report. ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

Civic Design Consultant and author [Cyd Harrell](https://twitter.com/cydharrell) joins us for a conversation about their new book [A Civic Technologist's Practice Guide](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55225556-a-civic-technologist-s-practice-guide?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=paFK2DugTf&rank=1), which seeks to be a grounding document in the space. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Slow Ideas](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/slow-ideas) - [Inclusive Design for a Digital World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46113876-inclusive-design-for-a-digital-world?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=BN5R6KdAsB&rank=1) - [Disability Visibility](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51456746-disability-visibility) - [So you want to reform democracy](https://medium.com/civic-tech-thoughts-from-joshdata/so-you-want-to-reform-democracy-7f3b1ef10597) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

This is the second of two episodes where we'll talk to folks who are leading organizations trying to make civic involvement easier despite the constraints of COVID-19. For this one, we're joined by [Maria Yuan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariayuan/) to chat with us about their platform IssueVoter which seeks to inform folks about Congress and empower them to connect with its members. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [IssueVoter](https://twitter.com/issuevoter) - [2014 Princeton study on Congressional decision making and popular opinion](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

We sit down with [Amanda Renteria](https://twitter.com/AmandaRenteria), the CEO of [Code for America](https://codeforamerica.org), an organization that seeks to improve the delivery of government services, whether through its programs or its nationwide volunteer network. We'll talk about the organization, their vision for it, a bit of public policy, and even how the organization is trying to weather the times we are living in. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Scientific American Mind](https://www.scientificamerican.com/mind-and-brain/) - [The Future is Faster than You Think](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52290273-the-future-is-faster-than-you-think) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

This is the first of two episodes where we'll talk to folks who are leading organizations trying to make civic involvement easier despite the constraints of COVID-19. For this one, we're joined by [Bhavini Patel](https://twitter.com/bhavinipatel_)to chat with us about their platform Be the Change which seeks to facilitate connections between constituents and state legislators. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Be The Change](https://beam-data.com/) - [Blink - Malcom Gladwell](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40102.Blink){:target="_blank"} - [Grit - Angela Duckworth](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27213329-grit) - [The Transportation Research Board](https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/transportation-research-board) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

[RoadBotics](https://www.roadbotics.com/) Co-Founder [Benjamin Schmidt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidtbt/) joined us to talk road infrastructure. How do governments make decisions about its management? How might data play a role in that? These questions and more will be answered throughout this episode. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [American Society of Civil Engineers](https://www.asce.org/) - [The Transportation Research Board](https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/transportation-research-board) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

United Stats Digital Services Engineering Director [Lisa Chung](https://www.linkedin.com/in/coderlisa/) joined us to talk engineering culture, hiring diversity and inclusion, and vendor best practices. We had the chance to sit down and learn from her in March as she was taking on this leadership role. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Matt Cutts Ted Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_what_happens_when_a_silicon_valley_technologist_works_for_the_government) - [The Government Fix (book)](https://www.senseandrespondpress.com/the-government-fix) - [USDS Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/usdigitalservice/) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

[Lina Patel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/linaxpatel/) of Code for Australia and [Nao Myoshu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nao-m/?originalSubdomain=jp) of Code for Japan join us for a conversation about Tech for Non Tech, a Code for All educational program. We'll talk about what the program is, why it exists, and dig into the details of how it's been shared across the network. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Code for All](https://codeforall.org/) - [Code for Australia](https://codeforaustralia.org/) - [Code for Japan](https://www.code4japan.org/) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

[Emily Paul](https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilylenglepaul/) joins us for a conversation about their work as a TechCongress fellow in the area of forensic algorithms. We'll cover that topic area as well as the work they did with Representative Mark Takano to put together the Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2019. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [The New Jim Crow](http://newjimcrow.com/) - [New America Publications](https://www.newamerica.org/publications/) - [Route Fifty Newsletters](https://www.routefifty.com/newsletters/) - [Data and Society](https://datasociety.net/) - [Upturn Publications](https://www.upturn.org/work/) - [Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2019](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4368/) - [Convicted by Code](https://slate.com/technology/2015/10/defendants-should-be-able-to-inspect-software-code-used-in-forensics.html) - [We Keep Us Safe](https://ellabakercenter.org/WKUS_EBC) - [Pleasure Activism](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40549668-pleasure-activism) - [Emergent Strategy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29633913-emergent-strategy) - [Normal Life](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8251053-normal-life) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

[Leah Bannon](https://twitter.com/leahbannon), [Mohith Rao](https://twitter.com/localtechsupp), and [Ryan Koch](https://twitter.com/ryan_koch)sit down with returning guest [Emily Fong](https://twitter.com/leahbannon)(they appeared on [episode 16](https://civictech.chat/2018/08/coding-it-forward-civic-technology-fellowship)). We'll talk about the work they're doing in the space where finance and civic tech meet, their community organizing efforts, and their product management practice. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Propel](https://www.linkedin.com/company/propel-inc/) - [US Census Bureau](https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-census-bureau/) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)