Source: United States General Services Administration
April 10, 2023
The 11th class of innovation leaders aim to improve the customer experience for millions of Americans
WASHINGTON — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) cohort for 2023. Now in its 11th year, the PIF program continues to attract a wide range of unique talent that benefits the people the federal government serves.
Today, 20 private-sector technology and innovation leaders will begin a year of civic service experience at 13 federal agencies, helping optimize how the government works by modernizing citizen engagement efforts and enhancing the delivery of services to the public.
“We’re thrilled to welcome these technologists and innovators into government service. More than ever, federal agencies are looking to improve the digital experience of their customers, better leverage data, and enhance cybersecurity,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “The PIF program is grounded in collaboration and we’re excited to see how these innovators put their skills to work for the public good and help agencies deliver services for the American people in their moments of need.”
The fellows – known as PIFs – have joined GSA from industries including information technology, public services, digital strategy, and financial technology. This year’s cohort comes from fields including technology, healthcare organizations, financial services, and more.
PIFs serve as strategic senior advisors with direct access to decision-making agency leaders. Their subject-matter expertise is paired with the institutional knowledge of agency civil servants with the goal of co-creating lasting, human-centered design solutions that have large-scale impact in helping people seeking government services.
PIFs contribute to both new and existing projects during their service. Some examples of this year’s projects include advancing AI research, supporting technologies for the military, improving customer experience, and using UX methodologies to improve healthcare.
“We at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) are the newest members of the federal biomedical ecosystem. We are on a mission to accelerate positive health outcomes for everyone,” said Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, Inaugural Director of ARPA-H. “Our current PIFs have been foundational members of the team from the beginning, bringing a strategic lens and building from the ground up. Together, we have successfully led major initiatives from engaging with the cancer community to finding new ways to optimize for efficiency and scale. I look forward to working with our class of 2023 ARPA-H fellows and continuing this great partnership.”
The new fellows and their agencies are:
- Yll Agimi, Ph.D., Department of Defense (DOD).
- Daniel Alvarez, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
- Dr. Rajni Aneja, MD, MBA, CBE, Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Jacob Barss-Bailey, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).
- Annie Callahan, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- Nischal Chaudhary, National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).
- Carmem Domingues, Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Nadia Fawaz, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
- Eboni J.D. Freeman, General Services Administration (GSA).
- Amanda Hawkins, Department of Defense (DOD).
- Katherine Hillenbrand, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- Ben Kane, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
- Patriek Karayil, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
- Yasmin Lalani, Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Nina Maturu, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
- Béatrice Mercier, Executive Office of the President (EOP).
- Michael Mogensen, Millennium Corporation Challenge (MCC).
- Dr. Rupam Jyoti Sarmah, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
- Sailaja Savanam, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
- Emily White, General Services Administration (GSA).
“Serving our nation as a PIF has been my dream since the program’s announcement in 2012. With an Army veteran father, public school teacher mother, and extended family across branches of the military and municipal government, public service was always my path forward,” said Eboni J.D. Freeman, who’s partnering with GSA’s Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice. “Being chosen to join the PIF community topped my list of goals because of their intentional mandate to be courageous, design with the public, and grow together.”
The 2023 cohort will end this week with a welcome ceremony at the White House on April 14, before starting at their respective agencies on April 17.
The Presidential Innovation Fellows, part of Technology Transformation Services (TTS), is a highly competitive fellowship. It pairs talented, diverse technologists and innovators with top civil servants and change-makers working at the highest levels of the federal government to be innovation catalysts. Since the program launched in 2012, PIF has recruited more than 250 fellows who have worked at more than 50 agencies to advance government innovation and deliver stronger public services. The program was founded by the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) in 2012. GSA has proudly housed it since 2013.
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About TTS: GSA’s TTS applies modern methodologies and technologies to improve the lives of the public and public servants. TTS helps agencies make their services more accessible, efficient, and effective with modern applications, platforms, processes, personnel, and software solutions. TTS offices include 18F, Centers of Excellence, Presidential Innovation Fellows, and a diverse portfolio of TTS Solutions, including initiatives like FedRAMP, USAGov, Digital.gov, cloud.gov, and Login.gov.
About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.