Introducing the 2023 Coding it Forward Fellows
We’re welcoming 92 early-career technologists to all levels of government this summer.
What a week it has been! Our team kicked off our 2023 Civic Digital Fellowship and Civic Innovation Corps in Washington, D.C. on Monday. The newest cohort of Fellows joined us in the nation’s capital for a two-day orientation. 92 early-career technologists will spend the next ten weeks in state, local, and federal government working on critical products and services for the American people. We’re so excited to see what their summer in public service has in store.
This year’s in-person orientation was the first time our team has celebrated our Fellows live in D.C. since 2019. When we last gathered in D.C. four years ago, we were celebrating our 3rd cohort of 55 Fellows working across six federal agencies. This summer, 57 Fellows join our eighth Civic Digital Fellowship cohort at 9 federal agencies.
In 2021, in response to the demand for opportunities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state and local governments across the country, we decided to expand our programs. We launched our first cohort of the Civic Innovation Corps that summer. The Civic Innovation Corps is a replica of our federal model but places Fellows in state, city, and county government offices across the country. In the first two years, our newest program placed 114 Fellows in over 40 offices across 3 counties, 4 states, and 16 cities. This summer, 35 Fellows join our third Civic Innovation Corps cohort at 20 offices in 1 county, 2 states, and 8 cities.
Since our founding in 2017, we’ve placed over 500 Fellows in state, local, and federal government. After this summer’s cohort, over 600 early-career technologists will be alumni of our fellowships.
Our programs have proven that early-career pathways are a critical solution to the government talent gap. They’ve even inspired the government to launch its own program for early-career individuals. The Civic Digital Fellowship and Civic Innovation Corps were the primary influence for the launch of the Biden Administration’s U.S. Digital Corps in 2021, a two-year early-career fellowship.
Since we were last gathered in D.C., we’ve welcomed hundreds of new alumni to our community, expanded placement opportunities to all levels of government, and watched the White House launch its own program directly inspired by our work. It’s been a busy four years, but it has been incredibly energizing to see our work continue to grow and prove that our programs are needed.
Welcoming our Fellows
Getting to welcome our newest cohort in-person this year was truly special. They had the opportunity to meet our team, build community with their fellow Fellows, and hear from leaders in the public interest technology space.
A special thank you to the following speakers and organizations who joined us in celebrating our newest cohort:
- Noreen M. Hecmanczuk, Senior Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer
- Alison O’Mara, Policy Analyst, Office of the Federal CIO
- Erie Meyer, Chief Technologist, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Senior Advisor to Director Chopra
- Arianne Gallagher-Welcher, Executive Director, Office of the Chief Information Officer- USDA Digital Service
- Alberto Rodríguez Alvarez, Senior Program Manager, New America Public Interest Technology
- Maya Israni, United States Digital Service, former Director of Engineering
- Angie Quirarte, Federal Partnerships Director, Tech Talent Project
- Cyrus Sethna, Director of Communications, Nava PBC
- New America
- Nava PBC
Meet the 2023 Fellows
92 Fellows dove into their work this week and will spend the next 9 weeks in state, local, and federal government working on projects across four areas of practice, data, design, software engineering, and product management. Our 2023 cohort:
- Brings a diversity of backgrounds to their work, with a majority of our 2023 cohort being women and people of color.
- Hails from 25 states across the country, from Louisiana to Massachusetts, Texas to Ohio, Tennessee to Washington.
- Represents 50 academic institutions, from large research institutions to bootcamps, and from liberal arts colleges to leading graduate programs.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be further introducing a few of our Fellows as they kick off their summer in public interest technology. Follow us on Twitter and keep an eye on our Medium for more.
Our 2023 Host Offices
The Civic Digital Fellowship and Civic Innovation Corps would not be possible without our incredible host offices. We’re eager to see what these early-career technologists will build in their 10 weeks working with these offices:
Federal Agencies
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Census Bureau
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Department of Agriculture
- General Services Administration
- Health and Human Services
State and Local Offices
- Arapahoe County, CO
- Austin, TX
- Baltimore, MD
- Boston, MA
- Charlotte, NC
- Long Beach, CA
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- San José, CA
We look forward to seeing what our Fellows accomplish at their host offices this summer! Stay tuned throughout the next 10 weeks as we share about their work.
Check out our website for more information on the Civic Digital Fellowship and Civic Innovation Corps and sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when applications for our 2024 cohorts open.
