During her early career in international development, Karina Ricks gained a lasting appreciation for transportation’s role in economic prosperity and social equity. Since 2017, she has applied these lessons at the local level within the U.S., overseeing transportation in Pittsburgh as the Director of Mobility and Infrastructure.
Ken Alston brought his experience working at the Department of Energy and Obama administration to New Energy Nexus, where he focuses on supporting entrepreneurs and international startups. The organization’s ambitious platform includes elevating 100,000 startups by 2030 in a quest to reach 100% clean energy.
Tech Exchange addresses digital equity by providing computers and digital support serves to underserved residents of California's Bay Area. Executive Director Seth Hubbert spoke to ESAL about the nonprofit and his journey in enabling technology for social change.
Nigel Jacob, a Ph.D. computer scientist, co-chairs the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) where he oversees local initiatives and innovative projects in Boston's mayoral office. Jacob spoke to ESAL about how MONUM brings an entrepreneurial spirit to Boston’s local bureaucracy.
Jennifer Costley is the director of physical science, sustainability, and engineering at the New York Academy of Sciences. The Academy recently hosted a summit on climate change and adaptation planning to discuss the findings from the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC). Costley spoke to ESAL about the collaboration between the Academy and the NPCC on their milestone anniversary.
The CivicSpark fellowship program has engaged over 200 fellows and some 35,000 California residents on projects concerning sea level rise, affordable housing, climate action planning, and sustainable transportation. Scheuer told ESAL about the program’s new “resilience” focus as they prepare to select their latest cohort of fellows.
DemocracyLab is an open-source platform shaping the field of civic tech, or technology for the public good. They match skilled volunteers with projects to take advantage the untapped potential of the civic tech movement.
Based in San Francisco, City Innovate has a novel premise: they match start-ups with local government via a startup in residence program to form technologically savvy collaborations. Their mission is to show that “government can be a force for good, and that the best way to address the challenges we face in our communities is by working together across government, sectors, and cities.”
The Eagleton Institute of Politics – part of Rutgers University-New Brunswick – recently launched a science and politics fellowship that will allow PhD-level scientists and engineers to work on policy problems in New Jersey’s state government. Leaders from the Institute talk with ESAL about how fellows will support state policy-making efforts.
