Tech Policy Leaders

Congressman Bobby Scott and Ximena Hartsock

Hon. Bobby Scott United States Congressman Representing Virginia's 3rd Congressional District Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce

Ximena Hartsock (@ximenahartsock) is co-founder and President of Phone2Action. Phone2 Action's digital grassroots platform makes it easy for your organization to attract and engage supporters. Social media, calling and email advocacy tools connect supporters to elected officials at every level, from city council to federal delegations, as well as to civic programs.

Ximena is an advocate at heart and has been involved in social advocacy campaigns since she was 11. Prior to co-founding Phone2ACtion, she managed membership and outreach for a national advocacy organization, where she ran hundreds of campaigns across the US. She has also held numerous leadership positions in Washington, DC, including spending time as a Principal, Assistant Superintendent and Agency Director. In 2009, she was appointed to the Executive Cabinet of then-DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. She earned her Doctorate in Policy Studies from the George Washington University and was born and raised in Santiago, Chile.

In this episode, we discussed:

• The right mindset to adopt to overcome your limitations (real and perceived) to reach your fullest potential.
• How to effectively incorporate mobile into your advocacy campaign.
• How to combine advocacy and entrepreneurship in a way that is profitable but also keeps you connected to the communities you care about.

Resources:

Phone2Action

Phone2Action on Medium

Ninja University by Gary Shapiro

Schools that Learn by Peter Segne, et al.

The Fifth Discipline by Peter Segne

Congressman Bobby Scott and Ximena Hartsock

Hon. Bobby Scott
United States Congressman Representing Virginia's 3rd Congressional District
Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce

Ximena Hartsock (@ximenahartsock) is co-founder and President of Phone2Action. Phone2 Action’s digital grassroots platform makes it easy for your organization to attract and engage supporters. Social media, calling and email advocacy tools connect supporters to elected officials at every level, from city council to federal delegations, as well as to civic programs.

Ximena is an advocate at heart and has been involved in social advocacy campaigns since she was 11. Prior to co-founding Phone2ACtion, she managed membership and outreach for a national advocacy organization, where she ran hundreds of campaigns across the US. She has also held numerous leadership positions in Washington, DC, including spending time as a Principal, Assistant Superintendent and Agency Director. In 2009, she was appointed to the Executive Cabinet of then-DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. She earned her Doctorate in Policy Studies from the George Washington University and was born and raised in Santiago, Chile.

In this episode, we discussed:

• The right mindset to adopt to overcome your limitations (real and perceived) to reach your fullest potential.
• How to effectively incorporate mobile into your advocacy campaign.
• How to combine advocacy and entrepreneurship in a way that is profitable but also keeps you connected to the communities you care about.

Resources:

Phone2Action

Phone2Action on Medium

Ninja University by Gary Shapiro

Schools that Learn by Peter Segne, et al.

The Fifth Discipline by Peter Segne

Joe Torres (@JosephATorres) is Senior External Affairs Director at Free Press. Joseph advocates in Washington to ensure that our nation's media policies serve the public interest and builds coalitions to broaden the movement's base. Joseph writes frequently on media and Internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media.

He is the 2015 recipient of the Everett C. Parker Award, which recognizes an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest.

In this episode, we discussed:

• The historic underpinnings of today's racial narrative in the media.
• How net neutrality and the internet can circumvent persistent gaps in traditional media ownership diversity.
• The policy implications arising from how consumers access news on modern platforms such as Facebook and Google.

Resources:

Free Press

News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres (2012).

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (2012)

Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness by Simone Brown (2015)

Forgotten Dead: Mob Violence Against Mexicans in the United States by William D. Carrigan (2013)

Latino USA Podcast

Microphone Check Podcast

Alt.Latino Radio

Joe Torres (@JosephATorres) is Senior External Affairs Director at Free Press. Joseph advocates in Washington to ensure that our nation’s media policies serve the public interest and builds coalitions to broaden the movement's base. Joseph writes frequently on media and Internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media.

He is the 2015 recipient of the Everett C. Parker Award, which recognizes an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest.

In this episode, we discussed:

• The historic underpinnings of today's racial narrative in the media.
• How net neutrality and the internet can circumvent persistent gaps in traditional media ownership diversity.
• The policy implications arising from how consumers access news on modern platforms such as Facebook and Google.

Resources:

Free Press

News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres (2012).

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (2012)

Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness by Simone Brown (2015)

Forgotten Dead: Mob Violence Against Mexicans in the United States by William D. Carrigan (2013)

Latino USA Podcast

Microphone Check Podcast

Alt.Latino Radio

Bruce Lincoln (@brucelincoln) is the co-founder of Silicon Harlem, which is focused on transforming Harlem into a hub for tech and innovation. He is also a senior fellow of the Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information at the Columbia Business School, and was previously the entrepreneur in residence at Columbia's Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE). Bruce has been involved in cutting edge technology product development and technology commercialization since the late 80's, when as the first Ford Fellow in Educational Technology, he was one of the early CD ROM content developers for Apple. He also developed the first program to bring broadband to public schools in New York City. In this episode we discussed:

• How New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration has worked to ensure New York City's tech sector is as diverse as the city itself.
• How local community organizations such as Silicon Harlem can help ensure youth are engaged in tech from an early age.
• How to use technology to stimulate mom-and-pop businesses in Harlem and beyond.

Resources

Silicon Harlem

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn

Constructivism, Technology, and the Future of Classroom Learning by Erik F. Strommen and Bruce Lincoln (Education & Urban Society, 1992)

Bruce Lincoln (@brucelincoln) is the co-founder of Silicon Harlem, which is focused on transforming Harlem into a hub for tech and innovation. He is also a senior fellow of the Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information at the Columbia Business School, and was previously the entrepreneur in residence at Columbia’s Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE).   Bruce has been involved in cutting edge technology product development and technology commercialization since the late 80's, when as the first Ford Fellow in Educational Technology, he was one of the early CD ROM content developers for Apple. He also developed the first program to bring broadband to public schools in New York City.   In this episode we discussed:

• How New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration has worked to ensure New York City's tech sector is as diverse as the city itself.
• How local community organizations such as Silicon Harlem can help ensure youth are engaged in tech from an early age.
• How to use technology to stimulate mom-and-pop businesses in Harlem and beyond.

Resources

Silicon Harlem

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn

Constructivism, Technology, and the Future of Classroom Learning by Erik F. Strommen and Bruce Lincoln (Education & Urban Society, 1992)

Wayne Sutton (@waynesutton) is a serial entrepreneurCo-founder of Change catalyst . Change Catalyst is dedicated to exploring innovative solutions to diversity and inclusion in tech through the Tech Inclusion Conference, consulting and workshops. Wayne's experience includes years of establishing partnerships with large brands to early stage startups. As a leading voice in diversity and inclusion in tech, Wayne shares his thoughts on solutions and culture in various media outlets where he has been featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to mentoring and advising early stage startups, Wayne's life goal is to educate entrepreneurs who are passionate about using technology to change the world.

In this episode we discussed:

• The critical pain points tech companies are experiencing when it comes to diverse hiring.
• Which tech companies are blazing trails in diversity, setting the standard for the rest of the industry.
• How recent grads can cope with issues related to workplace discrimination and harassment.
• How policy can help impact trends in diverse hiring in tech.

Resources

Change Catalyst

Diversity in High Tech Report by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2016)

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Trello

Slack

Evernote

Headspace

Insight Timer (iTunes|Android)

Jawbone - Up 24

Nuzzle

Wayne Sutton (@waynesutton) is a serial entrepreneurCo-founder of Change catalyst . Change Catalyst is dedicated to exploring innovative solutions to diversity and inclusion in tech through the Tech Inclusion Conference, consulting and workshops. Wayne’s experience includes years of establishing partnerships with large brands to early stage startups. As a leading voice in diversity and inclusion in tech, Wayne shares his thoughts on solutions and culture in various media outlets where he has been featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to mentoring and advising early stage startups, Wayne’s life goal is to educate entrepreneurs who are passionate about using technology to change the world.

In this episode we discussed:

• The critical pain points tech companies are experiencing when it comes to diverse hiring.
• Which tech companies are blazing trails in diversity, setting the standard for the rest of the industry.
• How recent grads can cope with issues related to workplace discrimination and harassment.
• How policy can help impact trends in diverse hiring in tech.

Resources

Change Catalyst

Diversity in High Tech Report by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2016)

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Trello

Slack

Evernote

Headspace

Insight Timer (iTunes|Android)

Jawbone - Up 24

Nuzzle

Catherine McCullough (@TechonTires) ( is Executive Director of the Intelligent Car Coalition. Ms. McCullough was raised in Washington and has worked in politics and policy for over twenty-five years. She speaks regularly on issues such as data use, privacy, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, driver attention, the government's role in technological innovation, and more.

Ms. McCullough is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post; serves on panels for conferences such as SXSW Interactive, CTIA Super Mobility, and CE Week-New York; has appeared on shows such as The Communicators; has published op-eds for beltway publications; and is regularly interviewed by media outlets that cover connected car issues. She is an attorney and also holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science.

Prior to her work with the Coalition, Ms. McCullough advised leading companies on critical public affairs matters and served as a Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. At the Commerce Committee she worked on subcommittees that oversaw many Internet, privacy, auto safety, insurance, and consumer product liability issues.

In this episode, we discussed:

• how the Department of Transportation classifies the different types of autonomous vehicles.
• the likely timeline on which the auto industry will release autonomous vehicles to consumers.
• the dangers of autonomous driving, particularly with respect to cybersecurity and distracted driving.

Resources

Intelligent Car Coalition (@TechonTires)

Drive Mode

Catherine McCullough (@TechonTires) ( is Executive Director of the Intelligent Car Coalition. Ms. McCullough was raised in Washington and has worked in politics and policy for over twenty-five years. She speaks regularly on issues such as data use, privacy, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, driver attention, the government’s role in technological innovation, and more.

Ms. McCullough is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post; serves on panels for conferences such as SXSW Interactive, CTIA Super Mobility, and CE Week-New York; has appeared on shows such as The Communicators; has published op-eds for beltway publications; and is regularly interviewed by media outlets that cover connected car issues. She is an attorney and also holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science.

Prior to her work with the Coalition, Ms. McCullough advised leading companies on critical public affairs matters and served as a Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. At the Commerce Committee she worked on subcommittees that oversaw many Internet, privacy, auto safety, insurance, and consumer product liability issues.

In this episode, we discussed:

• how the Department of Transportation classifies the different types of autonomous vehicles.
• the likely timeline on which the auto industry will release autonomous vehicles to consumers.
• the dangers of autonomous driving, particularly with respect to cybersecurity and distracted driving.

Resources

Intelligent Car Coalition (@TechonTires)

Drive Mode