U.S. Digital Response: Tech’s Fight Against COVID

As state and local governments continue to provide assistance to millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to a purely digital interface has been difficult to navigate. In response, a few of the country’s leading technology experts founded the U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit that connects governments with experienced pro bono technologists to quickly solve problems during the COVID-19 crisis, and deliver important resources to the people who need them.

Members of USDR include Jen Pahlka (formerly with Code for America),  Raylene Yung (formerly with Stripe), and Raphael Lee (formerly with Lob and Airbnb) They all join INFORUM to discuss bottom-up solutions to help government leaders and solve critical issues, like how to deliver the biggest uptick in unemployment insurance we've seen in our time, or helping states develop tools to help their residents determine if they're eligible for stimulus funds. They will also lay out USDR’s progress and goals, the role of technology in optimizing government services, and their takes on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This conversation will be moderated by data scientist DJ Patil.

NOTES

This program is generously supported by Postmates. We are grateful for their support and hope others will follow their example to support the Club during these uncertain times.

 

Postmates

Speakers
Image - Jennifer Pahlka

Jennifer Pahlka

Founder and Former Executive Director, Code for America; Former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer; Co-Founder, the U.S. Digital Response

Image - Raylene Yung

Raylene Yung

Former Engineering Director, Facebook; Former Head of Engineering & Product, Stripe; Technology Policy Fellow, The Aspen Institute; Co-Founder & CEO, U.S. Digital Response

Image - Raphael Lee

Raphael Lee

Former Engineering Manager, Airbnb; Former Vice President of Engineering, Lob; Core Team Member, The U.S. Digital Response

Image - DJ Patil

DJ Patil

Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist; Head of Technology, Devoted Health; Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Moderator