What is the goal of your work? What is the impact?
My goal is to prove that the public sector can deliver for residents and help solve our most intractable challenges. I lead a multidisciplinary team within Governor Wes Moore’s office that sits at the intersection of data science, civic design, strategy, and policy. Our north star is to design and implement bold new solutions to big problems, starting with reducing childhood poverty and improving economic mobility.
The way we work is just as important as what we build. We function like a startup—rigorously understanding a problem, prototyping solutions, and scaling what works. We follow a “build with, not for” philosophy; we grounded our inaugural portfolio in direct research with over 700 residents, parents, and small business owners to ensure our work is rooted in their lived experience. Crucially, we deliver this impact through a cross-agency and cross-sector approach.
We’ve already seen the impact of this approach. We built the Maryland Community Business Compass to meet community needs for child care and fresh food in underserved areas of the state by helping entrepreneurs looking to open or expand child care and fresh food businesses understand market gaps and access funding. It democratizes information—and opportunity—that was previously out of reach for many small businesses. We built it in-house in less than five months for under $5,000, and it reached nearly 7,000 active users within weeks. It launched alongside $10 million in new state funding, helping us drive precision investment into the neighborhoods that need it most.
