We're guided by some of the country’s top tech policy leaders.
Team
Founder and executive director
Travis Moore is the founder of TechCongress, and was the Legislative Director for Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who had jurisdiction over wide-ranging matters of technology policymaking. He founded Congress’ first digital communications training program, the institutions’ first Congressional staff conference, and the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship.
Travis is the Co-Founder of #CongressToo, a group of 1500 former Congressional staffers that brought the #MeToo movement to Capitol Hill and spearheaded a reform overhaul signed into law in late 2018.
Travis' work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Re/code, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call and other outlets. He can be reached at Travis [at] TechCongress.io or @travismoore.
Congressional Digital Service Fellowship Director Emeritus
Leisel Bogan is the Director Emeritus of the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship for TechCongress. Prior to her current role she served as a Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity, Technology and National Security in the office of Senator Mark Warner. She has also served as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Chief of Staff and Director of Research at Stanford University, and advised private sector clients on technology, strategy and emerging markets with a focus on China at the geopolitical strategic consulting firm, RiceHadleyGates, LLC. Leisel also worked on big data analytics and emerging technologies on a special projects team at Palantir Technologies, and a new media technology team at Warner Bros. Entertainment. Before working in Congress she managed strategy for a global cybersecurity and technology transformation program and worked with member firms at the professional services firm, PwC. Earlier, she was a Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution where she conducted research on cybersecurity, national security, and international institutions, and exhibited work at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. During her second appointment at the Hoover Institution, in addition to her research she helped stand up the Washington D.C. office and spearheaded strategic policymaking partnerships and coalitions.
Bogan has led several volunteer and non-profit education programs for vulnerable children and youth. Her work has taken her throughout the EU, the Southern Caucasus, Asia, and MENA. She has written for various publications and organizations, and collaborated on both of Secretary Rice’s two bestsellers. She studied at the University of San Francisco’s School of Law, holds a graduate degree from Pepperdine University, guest lectured at the school’s study abroad program, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University. She was a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations and a 2016 Gabr Foundation Fellow.
Deputy Director
Grace McKinney started as TechCongress’ Deputy Director in mid-April 2024. Grace spearheads several elements of the programmatic work, including placement, supporting the fellows throughout their service in Congress, and implementing new initiatives. Grace most recently worked at the Tech Talent Project, where she focused on effective ways to recruit diverse talented individuals with a private background into the civic tech community. Prior to the Tech Talent Project, Grace was the Head of Talent at CivicActions and the Lead of Talent Operations at the US Digital Service.
Chief operating officer
Mallory Strawn is the Chief Operating Officer of TechCongress where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization. Mallory is a seasoned professional with over 12+ years of experience in the tech industry, specializing in operations and knowledge management. She holds a BBA from Georgia State University and has made significant contributions to numerous startups and SaaS companies. Additionally, Mallory lends her expertise to consulting for non-profit organizations, where she passionately supports their mission-driven goals.
Senior Outreach & program manager
Aleena Khan is the Senior Outreach & Program Manager at TechCongress, where she runs fellowship programming, including recruitment, selections, placement, events, and communications. Before joining the team, she worked as the Deputy Director for Content at TEDxFoggyBottom and served as a Research Assistant at the Institute for International Economic Policy, where she supported research focused on data and ethics. Aleena holds a B.A. in Political Science with a Focus in Public Policy from The George Washington University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at American University.
communications INTERN
Christina You is the Communications Intern at TechCongress. She is a sophomore at the University of Southern California studying Computer Science and Philosophy, Politics, and Law. Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Christina has a background in grassroots advocacy and state legislation with the New Orleans Children & Youth Planning Board and the Louisiana Legislative Youth Council. She also serves as co-president of Shift SC, USC’s first and only student-led organization for ethically aligned and socially responsible technology.
Programs Intern
Mya Saint-Louis is the Programs Intern at TechCongress. She is a senior studying Computer Science, Ethics, and Society at Georgetown University and has an interest in the intersection of technology, public policy, and social justice. At Georgetown, Mya previously served as the Communications Coordinator of the Georgetown Black House, the Academic and Professional Development Chair of ColorStack Hoyas, the Georgetown Chapter of the national ColorStack organization. She currently serves as a Board Member for All Tech is Human’s Responsible Tech University Network.
Board of Directors
Laura MOY
Professor Laura Moy is an Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown. She is the Director of Georgetown Law’s Communications & Technology Law Clinic, where she leads a team of staff attorneys and law students representing nonprofit organizations in a range of technology policy before federal agencies.
Prior to joining the Georgetown faculty, Professor Moy worked on technology policy issues at New America and Public Knowledge. She completed her B.A. at the University of Maryland, her J.D. at New York University School of Law, and her LL.M. at Georgetown.
As a policy expert, Professor Moy has written, spoken, and advocated before agencies and Congress on consumer privacy, law enforcement surveillance, data security, device portability, copyright, and net neutrality. Her current research interests include how technology tools are used in the criminal legal system, and how consumer privacy protections may be leveraged to ensure private information is not used in ways that perpetuate and exacerbate discrimination and other societal ills.
JOHN YAROS
John Yaros is a finance, technology, digital currency/assets, and national security expert and founder/advisor to companies in the Fintech and Agtech sectors. He currently leads the Digital Currency Initiative for the non-profit, Connected DMV, where he focuses on creating faster, cheaper, safer, and more inclusive money and payments systems for the benefit of underserved communities and small businesses in the greater Washington, D.C. region. Previously, John served as a TechCongress Fellow for the prestigious U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) and was a leader within the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI), serving as the Section Chief of the Terrorism and Nuclear Proliferation Team. Prior to that, John worked as a Government Accountability Office (GAO) Analyst, analyzing cyber threats to the American banking system. Before joining government, John spent several years in the financial services industry at Morgan Stanley, providing financial advice and services to high-net-worth individuals and families.
John earned his M.A. in Government and Politics, with a focus on international relations, from St. John’s University, and holds a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Italian from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He is also a proud cancer survivor and former NCAA Division 1 ice hockey player who was a member of the Hockey East All Star Academic Team.
TechCongress does not accept corporate contributions.
Our TechCongress Foundation Fundraising and gift acceptance policy is available here.
the following individuals made a generous seed CONTRIBUTION to the techCongress Crowdfunding CAMPAIGN in june 2015. their support enabled us to continue operations long enough to develop proof of concept.
we are extremely grateful for everyone who invested in us when our program was just an idea.
FOUNDING partners
Seamus Kraft
Loren Stender
Giselle Kasim
Catherine Fish
Matthew Odum
Curtis Moore
Scott Graham
Yuri Beckelman
Matt Cohen
Philip Barnett
Adam Connor
Katherine Cichy
Michael Gailey
Matt Burge
Martyn Griffin
Dan Swislow
Lauren Belive
Jenny Feinberg
Lainey Yang
Margaret McCarthy
Chris Vaeth
Paul Hoover
founding Supporters
Judy Moore
Christopher Hook
Anh Doan
Jirair Ratevosian
Elia Boggia
Leslie McGorman
Samuel Drzymala
Pat Delgado
Ruth Katz
Christopher Austin
Matt Connolly
Jeffrey Zubricki
Jennifer Bernal
Sabrina Mutukisna
Lindsey Miller
Sarah Moore
Michael Yang
Yuh-Wen Ling
Lindsay Torrico
David Disborough
Sophie Miller
Adam Barr
Jackie Davis
Victoria Chao
Deanne Titus
Anna Terlecky Clarke
Brett Morrow
Elizabeth Letter
Michelle Kobler
James Ahumada
Amanda Hurley
Theresa Darlington
Robert Lucas
PJ Hoffman
Cathy Yu
Emilia Gutierrez
Colleen O'Malley
Christopher Stone
Joshua Teitelbaum
Ryan Seashore
Mariel Lim
Tracey Ross
Jasmine Hutchinson
Mike Goldman
Caroline Caselli
Eleanor Bastian
Becky Allsop
Emily Dulcan
Adam Poswolsky
Craig Frucht
Andrew Okuyigua
Samantha Sher
Christopher Stone
David Burd
Sabrina Hersi-Issa
Matt Weiner
William and Sara Hoffman
Raisa Orleans
Jennifer McCloskey
Justin Zorn
Phoebe Lee
Eric Martens
Imram Mahmud
Katherine Martinez
Kevin Fanfoni
Rob Cobbs
Robbie Michlewicz
Heather Chotvacs
Marta Hanson
Corey Jacobson
Katherine Hull
Avra Heller
Rachel Marshall
Ilana Lipsett
Arielle Koreyasu
Hannah Nobel
Robert Friedman
Martin Radosevich
Clare Bresnahan
Michael Moschella
Piper Crowell
Chris Gauthier
Jennifer Storm
Julie Barton
Gabriella Gordon
Caitlin Howarth