I’ve built my career on analyzing & implementing technology as it becomes mainstream— ensuring that organizations, governments, and communities can harness it effectively.
Get startedI was an early adopter and builder of open-source ecosystems. I helped build platforms, develop standards, and configure emerging tools to work in the real world.
At EveryBlock I helped create a new way of structuring and delivering local information— “a news feed for your block” and deliver an important open source repository
With Yahoo! Pipes YQ!, and Genius, I configured open-source tools that were early forms of data aggregation, automation, and annotation
Developed dozens of websites on the WordPress platform, pushing capabilities and connecting it to web services in innovative ways.
With my first civic app— a public safety alert system based on the now-defunct Wireless Application Protocol— I began thinking at a high level about how to use new technology in the public sphere. Those fundamentals— take what's available and figure out how to use it— as my basis.
Co-founded Smart Chicago Collaborative, which pioneered digital inclusion, civic hacking, and open government data
Early team member at Ad Hoc, the government digital services firm, and helped it grow into a leading institution
Co-founder and CEO of Civic Elevator, a PE-funded software firm that brought the principles of civic tech and the use of open data to an old-line industry
Technology should be designed to work for people, rather than forcing people to adapt to technology.
CUTGroup (Civic User Testing Group) was a first-of-its-kind model for user testing in the public sphere, ensuring that technology meets the needs of the people it’s meant to serve
The Documenters Program is a system that brings transparency to public meetings by enabling residents to report on government activities that often go unnoticed. It has since been launched in cities all over the country
CTA Alerts, a rider-to-rider communication platform, empowered users to share service outage information. Its integration into official Chicago Transit Authority systems enhanced its effectiveness.