The civic technology community are “helpers,” the type of people you want with you in an emergency. They’re people who intervene to prevent an emergency. Sitting here in Seattle, the COVID-19 Pandemic feels like the beginning of a months-long emergency. Many reputable news stories have been churned out, but clear…

Word. Microsoft Word. The wordprocessing software that’s been around longer than some of us have been alive. It’s the software government runs on. But it’s also the software holding back governments from being open, transparent, and modern. …

I’m wondering, what’s changed? After all the heart-wrenching, outrage-inducing #MeToo stories over the last year or more, what has changed? Sure, I could point to changes I know of, but what’s more useful is to hear about the changes you noticed. The changes you implemented. How you changed. How your…

On a fast-growing, progressive, tech-driven presidential campaign, a fellow staff member attempted to rape me. I was not on the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. This assault happened during my year working on the Howard Dean presidential campaign in 2003. It marred my career as my attacker’s career flourished. This week’s…

Understandably, my “me too” story horrified many in our field. What I didn’t expect is that so many would identify with my story and seek me out to share theirs. I listened to dozens of individuals in open gov and civic tech whose stories shocked and saddened me. …

“Brave women” have names, more importantly, they have teams. — People call me “brave” for speaking on the record about my “Me Too” story which spanned over a decade of my career. Truth is, I wasn’t brave. I was prepared. After I anonymously shared my story with Shine Squad two years ago, a major media organization wanted to publish my…

When I serve on government committees, I do so voluntarily, unpaid, and I am the only one who could be considered a “member of the public.” When asked by my fellow committee members where I’m from, they don’t mean where I live, but who I represent or which government I…

Today is the first day of Spring, and yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny day. So, maybe I’m seeing Seattle with rose-colored glasses, but I’m reminded of all the reasons I love Seattle. Reasons that I usually keep to myself, but I find the more I travel, the more I see…

It’s “bikini body” season, the time of year when women are reminded by diet plans and gyms to get “bikini ready.” …