Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University

The mayors participating in the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance leverage work in the Alliance to shape the strategic direction of their cities. Mayor Eduardo Martinez of City of Richmond, California called out these important efforts in his recent State of the City address, saying: “Building on our commitment to innovation, we've partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University to create an internal City Data Alliance team led by our IT Manager, Rebecca Venegas. This team focuses on the economic development of downtown, leveraging data strategies to create effective marketing plans and policy tools. This initiative is just one of the ways we have been using innovation to drive progress.” #dataforgood #datadriven

How can data serve as a tool for racial justice? At the Data for Black Lives III conference earlier this month, members of the GovEx Research and Analytics team demonstrated how disaggregated data can help uncover inequalities and drive systemic change. Using our soon-to-be-released City Data Explorer, a tool that aggregates, explores, and visualizes city-level data with an emphasis on disaggregation, Back-end Data Engineer K’lila Nooning and Researcher Angel Aliseda highlighted the limits of using citywide averages to understand resident experiences. In our latest post, they reflect on this powerful tool and the event’s broader focus on community-driven data practices. Read about their experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03029jK0 #dataforgood #datadriven #D4BLIII

We're walking into #2025 ready to support public officials as they navigate #data and #AI opportunities. At our annual staff retreat earlier this month, the #GovEx team came together to reflect, plan, and reaffirm our commitment to helping cities deliver results for residents!

Proud to share that our Executive Director Amy Edwards Holmes has recently joined the Women Leaders In Data & AI (WLDA) community, working to close the gender gap in AI!

Congratulations to GovEx founder Beth Blauer on her new role as The Johns Hopkins University's inaugural vice president for public impact initiatives! Beth will lead the Baltimore Strategic Impact Initiative, through which the university will "partner with city, state, and community leaders to identify new strategies for leveraging the university's strengths as an employer, educator, and research hub." https://lnkd.in/gpesBbGs

Can't believe it was already one week since our incredible experience at our recent GovEx retreat! Over three days, our entire team at the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence came together to reflect on our collective achievements, celebrate our milestones, and strategize for the future as we approach GovEx’s 10th anniversary. Our daily themes of Inspire 🌟✨🎉, Integrate 🤝🔗🌐, and Innovate 💡🚀🤖 provided the perfect framework to ground our discussions and set the stage for what’s ahead. The retreat was filled with moments of connection, creativity, and growth. From reflecting on our work to meaningful networking, brainstorming, and self-care activities like our winter-themed Canvas & Cocoa session, where we painted the iconic The Johns Hopkins University Blue Jay 🎨 -- the experience was both energizing and inspiring for all! We were fortunate to be joined by several remarkable guests: - Patrick Brugh, PhD who shared insights into the innovative tools and resources offered by the JHU Center for Staff Life Design, emphasizing strategies to align personal and professional aspirations for meaningful career growth; - Yvette Bryant who introduced us to the broad range of services available through the JHU Employee Assistance Program, highlighting vital resources that support employee well-being, mental health, and work-life balance; - Carrie Bishop from Bloomberg Philanthropies, whose ongoing support and partnership remain a cornerstone of our work to bring data and innovation to local government partners across the globe 🌎🌍🌏, and - Dean William Howell, who emphasized the importance of bridging academia and practice—a mission close to my heart. We are so excited to be a part of the The Johns Hopkins University School of Government and Policy 🏛️! As we celebrated the progress we’ve made and envisioned the future of civic data and innovation, it was clear that the passion and dedication of the GovEx team will continue driving transformative impact in cities worldwide 💜. Here’s to the next chapter of GovEx and the incredible journey ahead! Amy Edwards Holmes | Latricia Good Boone | Evan Serpick | Sara Bertran de Lis, PhD | Laila Sorurbakhsh, PhD | Mary Conway Vaughan Major appreciation goes to my team within the GovEx Office of the Chief of Staff: Kristina Bradford-Baiamonte, Blaze Tiangco Thomas, Kel W., Melisa Breda, and Tanya Nicolas and our strong partners in the GovEx Office of Communications, particularly Megan Shea, who helped us deliver this successful event! #Leadership #Innovation #Collaboration #GovExRetreat #CivicData #LocalGovernment #JHU #Data #AI #Cities

🌍 Today is International Volunteer Day! The GovEx team recently had the opportunity to support our local communities through our annual Day of Service. ✨ In Maryland, we partnered with the Maryland Food Bank to unload and sort two dozen pallets of donated supplies. ✨Meanwhile, our remote teammates took advantage of several service opportunities in their home communities, contributing to nonprofits and charities across seven states and multiple countries. #IVD2024

The city of San Fernando, Chile is leveraging its engagement in the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance to respond to 100 percent of residents' infrastructure concerns. Mayor Pablo Silva and his team are developing a platform that allows residents to share feedback, which will be organized and assigned to the correct department through a data-driven model—enhancing efficiency and improving service outcomes. “We must move away from impulsive decision-making and be entirely driven by evidence,” said Pablo Leon, the city’s finance director. This is just one of the innovative ways cities in the Alliance are putting data to work for residents. Stay tuned: In the coming months the 23 cities who joined the program in 2024 will release their citywide data strategies to bring data skills and literacy to all levels of their government. #datadriven #dataforgood

To kickstart data-driven citywide transformations, our coaches visit every city the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, connecting with mayors and their teams to build data strategies that improve data use across government workforces and directly impact resident lives. In City of Richmond, California mayor Eduardo Martinez and his team are eager to use data to improve communication with residents and make decisions that truly reflect community needs. Soon, the city will release its tailored strategy for bringing this effort to life. #dataforgood #datadriven

City of Paterson seizes opportunities! We're proud to work with Mayor Andre Sayegh and his team as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. They are using their work in the Alliance to take the city paperless. https://lnkd.in/enRGJ6Ai #dataforgood #datadriven