Today we’re launching a new partnership with the Center for Technology & Civic Life, a non-partisan, non-profit that uses technology to improve the way local governments and communities interact. Three of their key team members— have recently moved to Chicago from Washington, DC:
There are three of their team members in Chicago: Tiana Epps-Johnson (Founder and Executive Director), Whitney May (Co-founder and Director of Government Services) and Donny Bridges (Co-founder and Director of Civic Data). Smart Chicago has issued each of them reserved seats in our space at 1871. They are setting up shop there to focus on three main areas:
- Training local government on how to use technology to enhance the civic livelihood of their communities;
- Developing free/low-cost tools for government where there are clear needs; and
- Aggregating civic data sets and developing infrastructure that enables the flow of information and interactions between government and the people they are serving.
Donny Bridges, Whitney May, and Tiana Epps-Johnson in the Garage of The Chicago Community Trust.
This is an important partnership for us through our Developer Resources program. We’re able to be helpful to an important national organization, expand our network of partners that “respect the vital work of public servants”, and help steal smart people from Washington DC, all in one swoop.