Think Civic

Marina Nitze, the Obama administration's Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Nick Sinai, the Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States, come onto Think Civic to talk about their new book, Hack Your Bureaucracy. Marina and Nick dive into a few of the important lessons from their book, their experiences in the Obama administration, and how individuals in civic tech, entry level professionals, and college students looking to venture into civic technology can use Marina and Nick's experiences to hack their bureaucracy and accomplish major projects. 

Sha Hwang discusses how Nava PBC designs and implements projects in the civic tech space at the federal, state, and local levels of government

Evan and Chizo talk with Mary Lazzeri and Lapedra Tolson about the public procurement process and increasing opportunities for women-owned small businesses in the digital service space. Mary has written two op-eds highlighting the need for WOSBs to work together and key policy changes that the Biden administration could take to reach their WOSB targets. Alongside Mary, Lapedra Tolson, the co-founder of Friends from the City and other digital services formed joined us to discuss her experience as a women-owned small business owner as well. Lapedra currently sits on the board of the Digital Services Coalition, a coalition form to accelerate the growth or ability of the government to implement services that focus on good usability, reliable technology, and accessibility for all while also benefiting the individuals and firms that are part of the community.

Chizo and Evan talk with Mariel Reed, the CEO and cofounder of CoProcure. Mariel discusses the public procurement process, its impact on our communities, and how her company is improving access to procurements!

Hey y’all! It’s Ajay here. It has been a few months since I have been behind the microphone at think civic because of some travel (some vacation and some work, although mainly I have been traveling to visit family and friends that I have not seen since before the pandemic). As I have been venturing across Europe with brief stops in Africa and Asia, I have been thinking a lot about how my own life path ended up to where I am today. Since being behind a microphone is at times very therapeutic, I decided to sit down this evening in Lucerne, Switzerland and just talk (just me, my microphone, and my laptop) about my own story: how my values were instilled at a young age, my college and Facebook experiences, dealing with ableism at FAANG companies, and finding the civic tech community and workplace that I am so thankful to be a part of to this day. I hope you all enjoy this surprise episode.

Chizo and Evan spoke with Billy Lim, the former Senior Organizer for Code for America’s National Action Team. Billy touches on his childhood growing up in Milwaukee, his experience working as a teacher and organizer for AAPI Communities, details on the Reimagine 911 National Action Network, and his advice for those looking to make meaningful career pivots

Ajay and Chizo spoke with Clay Garner, the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of San Jose. Clay’s position is within the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation. Clay shares how he started as a pop star in China and ended up working in civic technology, the problems and departments he works with, from Internet access to libraries, and how early-career professionals can venture in the world of civic and government tech.

Ajay Jain and Evan De Broux talk with Coding It Forward’s Rachel Dodell on the Season 2 premiere of Think Civic! Rachel discusses Coding It Forward’s origin story, the Civic Digital Fellowship and the Civic Innovation Corps, building community in the civic tech and public interest tech spaces, and what the future looks like for Coding It Forward.

Chris Kuang discusses the General Services Administration's new civic technology fellowship, the United States Digital Corps, and why recent college graduates should consider utilizing technology to solve problems in the government!