In our final installment of our fellow announcement campaign, we are happy to announce that congressional innovation fellow Tie Hardy has joined the office of Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11). As a seasoned technologist and accessibility advocate, Tie will work alongside Rep. Sherrill on the Select Committee on the CCP. Their primary policy focuses include technology, A.I., security, environment, health, and transportation & accessibility.
Within their blog post, Tie recounts the day they made the defining decision to pivot from technology to policy. Read more below:
I woke up on the morning of August 9th, 2023 deeply contemplating what the next step in my career would be. I didn’t know it yet but later that day I would set in motion a series of events that would fundamentally change the trajectory of my career – starting with my application to TechCongress.
I did not know what a career in policy would look like when I started the application process for TechCongress, but I did know that I believed in Congress’ capability of widespread impact and that policy is most effective when people with direct experience work on it. Having worked on digital accessibility initiatives as a person with cerebral palsy, I understood firsthand the value of having those with lived experience involved in policy-making. Because of this, the foundational premise of TechCongress, placing technologists on Capitol Hill to tackle tech policy issues, deeply resonated with me, and always would. My application reflected this, communicating these two cornerstones of my interest in the TechCongress Fellowship, and all I had to do was wait to hear back.
From my past experience working on a state government digital services team, I had considered roles in various agencies responsible for implementing tech policies originating from Congress. However, I was excited to learn what a job on the policy side of things actually looked and felt like. In the month that followed, I immersed myself in researching topics such as AI, digital accessibility, disability rights, broadband access, and antitrust, effectively building a robust foundation in tech policy.
Having built a better background and foundation in timely tech policy work, I was elated when I received an email asking to schedule my first round interview with TechCongress. The interview process went smoothly and I accepted the offer! As I prepared to relocate fromPennsylvania, and to some extent, Massachusetts, the reality of soon participating in the work I had spent the past four months researching and dreaming about sank in. I used this time to improve my understanding of how the legislative branch functioned and research non-partisan policy professionals who were doing work I believe in.
Since beginning orientation for the fellowship, I’ve already met a remarkable cohort of fellows, alumni, staff and policy makers in the TechCongress network. I am overjoyed by my decision to participate in this program and am excited to contribute during this crucial and promising period for tech policy on Capitol Hill.