Jackson Brietzke is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Scholar who served with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Majority staff, where he supported on issues relating to national security and cybersecurity. Before joining TechCongress, Jackson  worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and received his Master of Science in Information Security Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. 

In this episode, we chat with Jackson about what it's like to pivot from the private sector to the public sector, the issues he's most passionate about, and how he defines civic technology. 

Crystal Grant is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Scholar who served with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and supported on oversight, health care, and technology issues. Before becoming a TechCongress Scholar, Crystal worked as a Science and Technology Policy Mirzayan Fellow at the National Academies, where she contributed to research policies to increase the number of Women of Color in tech.

In this episode, we sit down with Crystal to talk about her interest in civic tech, how her background in Genetics and bioinformatics impacts how she approaches policy, and the importance of working to build the civic tech field. 

Sohum Pawar is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Scholar who served with Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and supported on cyber, energy, and environmental issues. Before becoming a TechCongress Scholar, Sohum explored tech-driven policy issues at the White House, EPA, a cyber threat intelligence firm, and a nuclear reactor startup.

In this episode, we chat with Sohum about how his work in communication impacts his work as a technologist and policy researcher, how he defines civic technology, and what he's looking forward to working on throughout his fellowship. 

Britney Lyons is a 2020 Congressional Digital Service (CDS) Fellow who served with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and the Office of the Clerk in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she supported on efforts to modernize Congress' digital infrastructure. Before joining TechCongress, Britney  co-founded a company that works with cities to build software for their unique needs.

In the this episode, we sit down with Britney to talk about how the Coding for America fellowship inspired her to build tech for cities, what motivated her to join TechCongress, and what being a civic technologist means to her. 

Johncarlo "JC" Cerna is a 2020 Congressional Digital Service (CDS) Fellow who served with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and House Information Resources, where he supported efforts to modernize Congress' digital infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before becoming a CDS fellow, JC was a Coding it Forward Civic Digital Fellow and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Computer Science. 

In this episode, we sit down with JC to talk about his passion for civic technology, his work as a Coding it Forward fellow, and the importance of utilizing technology to modernize government operations.

Leisel Bogan is the Director of the Congressional Digital Service (CDS) Fellowship and a Senior Congressional Digital Service Fellow. Prior to her current role, she served as a Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity, Technology and National Security in the office of Senator Mark Warner. She also worked as a Chief of Staff and research director for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. 

In this episode, Leisel shares her experience working as a TechCongress Fellow for the Hill, provides advice for people interested in pivoting to policy, and talks about what being a civic technologist means to her.

Peter Terpeluk is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Fellow who served with Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) and supported work on technology and health care issues. Before becoming a TechCongress fellow, Peter earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and worked as a Program Manager at Google supporting operations for its cloud computing division. 

In this episode, we talk with Peter about his experience working in Silicon Valley, his interest in politics, and what drove him to apply for the TechCongress Congressional Innovation Fellowship.

Jennie Kam is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Fellow who served with the Senate Banking Committee minority staff under Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH), where she supported work on cybersecurity, privacy, and financial technology issues. Prior to the Congressional Innovation Fellowship, Jennie was a cybersecurity researcher for Cisco where she assessed products for hardware and software vulnerabilities.

In this episode, we sit down with Jennie to talk about pivoting from tech to policy, her work setting up cybersecurity workshops and camps, and the issues she's looking forward to working on during her fellowship. 

Victoria Houed is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Fellow who served with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and supported work on broadband adoption and policy, consumer online privacy, and autonomous vehicles. Before joining TechCongress, Victoria worked as a Software Engineer and Product Manager at Cards Against Humanity and founded a non-profit for Black Women in Technology called BlackByte. 

In this episode, we chat with Victoria about what drew her into politics and policymaking, why she created BlackByte, and how her experience as a technologist will inform her work on tech policy. 

Walter Pope is a 2020 Congressional Innovation Fellow who served with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and supported future of work, gig economy, and economic opportunity issues. Before becoming a TechCongress fellow, Walter was a Naval Special Warfare officer where he coordinated efforts across multiple overseas teams in support of special operations and technology-driven engagements.

In this episode, we sit down with Walter to talk about his desire to work in tech policy, why he decided to apply for TechCongress, and his interest in the future of work issues.