People are abuzz about ‘civic tech.’ As communities around the world seek technology-enabled solutions to social problems, some of the most inspiring innovation is coming from government, and more specifically local government. Yes, local government.
Across the country and around the world, cities and counties are thinking about the intersection of technology, policy and politics in ways that are creative, solution-oriented and highly impactful. The results have been exciting and encouraging. At Microsoft, we believe that through cross-sector partnerships, many more civic tech breakthroughs are right around the corner – and we want to be an active partner in making these things happen.
Of course, Microsoft is not new to the Bay Area. We’ve been here since the ‘80s, with thousands of employees, multiple campuses, deep community partnerships, cutting-edge research and a strong commitment to philanthropy and making a positive difference. Recently, we’ve been increasingly engaged in the local civic tech activities. There have been city-hosted hackathons, new startups and industry associations with civic tech foci, and new government positions like ‘Chief Innovation Officer’ being created at the municipal level – these changes are happening quickly and we think there should be more transparency, conversation and cross-sector engagement.
To that end, we have launched a Bay Area civic tech team. These folks are not in sales or marketing or government affairs. These are community leaders who want to engage deeply in the civic tech culture and ecosystem in Silicon Valley and San Francisco in order to find creative solutions to our region’s greatest challenges. We’ll use this forum to share information and ideas. And we hope that you will join in these efforts with us. ~Sid Espinosa
WHO WE ARE
First our group lead. Dan’l Lewin heads up the Technology and Civic Engagement team globally. Dan’l has a renowned Silicon Valley tenure having joined Apple in its early years, and then holding leadership positions at NeXT, GO Corp. and Aurigin Systems. Beyond his deep expertise in the technology start-up scene, he is also well-known for his community involvement, and serves on the boards of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Churchill Club and The Tech Museum of Innovation.
If you’re going to lead tech innovation in the Bay Area, you need serious geek credentials. Scott Mauvais (@lscott) does – and then some: He’s co-owner of The WELL, the 30-year-old groundbreaking online community. For more than 14 years, Scott has worked with Microsoft’s top technology experts and problem-solvers, most recently as director of the Microsoft Technology Center. Now he’s applying Microsoft’s unique assets to solve urban-scale problems in the city of San Francisco as our Director of Technology and Civic Innovation.
As a former mayor of Palo Alto Sid Espinosa knows firsthand how government and public policy can help citizens. Sid has work experience in overseas embassies, the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House. Along the way he also directed global philanthropy at Hewlett-Packard. Sid now heads up philanthropy and civic engagement for Microsoft across the great state of California, based here in the Silicon Valley.
