For the past two years, I’ve been in the trenches of local government as the City of Miami’s first Senior Data Scientist. I’ve seen first-hand how reliable and accessible data increases service transparency, enables responsible policymaking that benefits constituents, and shines light on a path to economic resilience during a global pandemic.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to improve quality of life in the City of Miami by providing data to City leadership, business owners and everyday residents. When the City declared a State of Local Emergency on March 12, 2020, in response to COVID-19, I realized the importance of equipping leadership with reliable and authoritative data on the possible impacts of the shutdown on the local economy. I collaborated with a brilliant team of private and public sector individuals on weekly economic recovery reports to aggregate data from multiple sources that helped leadership identify areas with a significant reduction in economic activity due to the shutdown. This information also helped inform recommendations on reopening strategies. These data efforts contributed to the larger policymaking environment of the City, which have helped Miami become a thriving, resilient business community amid the pandemic.
More recently, I had the opportunity to research and explore the applications of cutting-edge technology such as smart contracts to increase operational transparency and efficiency. This experience has made it clear to me that whether it’s at the local or federal level, leaders and decision makers need to understand the capabilities of new technologies to properly leverage them to improve the quality of life of their constituents and enable a healthy entrepreneurial environment.
For me, the Congressional Innovation Fellowship was a natural next step. And it’s part of my responsibility as an American to take my local government experience in Miami to the federal level. The same way that I’ve contributed my small grain of sand to make Miami a more resilient City, I will make Congress and our nation more resilient. Whether contributing my expertise in emerging technologies, leveraging data to measure the impact of policy making, or helping facilitate rocket launch and reentry licensing - I’m here to make sure our nation excels at being the beacon of freedom around the globe.