Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation

Join the Georgetown community for the 2nd Annual Georgetown University Wikipedia Edit-a-thon! ?? https://lnkd.in/eftwTs-9 Join us, along with the Massive Data Institute, Georgetown University Women's Center, Lauinger Library, Georgetown University, and other partners across the Georgetown community on Friday, March 21, 2025 from 2:00-4:00pm to help close the gender gap on Wikipedia.

Don’t miss this Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis event at 12:00 p.m. CT on April 9 to explore evidence on UI access! Hosted by Mary Hogan, MSW, LGSW, Amalea Jubara, Ayushi Narayan, Hue Nguyen, and Ryan Nunn. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gYr_8B2T Check out MPLS fed’s new research: https://lnkd.in/ewPykPDA ?? What are applicants’ experiences with the unemployment insurance (UI) system? ?? How are states innovating to better serve UI applicants while maintaining program integrity? ?? Where are the biggest opportunities and challenges related to UI access? Hear Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Digital Benefits Network's Jennifer Phillips and Julia Dale of Civilla, Andrew Stettner of The Century Foundation, Beth Townsend of Iowa Workforce Development respond to these questions. Check out CX for UI on Dig Gov Hub: https://lnkd.in/g9wgivmp ?based on June 2024 congressional testimony that Jennifer and Beth delivered.

In 2023, we shared our theory of change (ToC) series to help government digital service teams kick-start new (or super-charge existing!) theories of change. Given changes at the federal level, we know that many government digital service teams are spending time re-evaluating and refreshing their ToCs. What is a ToC??A ToC is a clearly articulated strategy of how an individual or organization expects to bring about a desired change in a particular context. Why is a ToC important??ToCs are practical?strategic tools that make achieving desired outcomes?more likely; prevent mistakes by surfacing?assumptions and dependencies; help teams align with?stakeholders?and better?invest?limited time and resources; and more.?A good ToC is a lightweight tool which can be wielded for a host of tangible needs, like: ?? Recruiting allies by helping teams communicate how their work is critical to realizing shared goals ?? Strategically choosing a course of action ?? Boosting team morale by making clear why and how near-term work matters to long-term aims Learn more in our ToC essay series, featuring insights and reflections from digital government practitioners in the field ?? https://lnkd.in/erP7iTuE

?? Check out the March Digital Benefits Digest? https://lnkd.in/gHTq_YJV ?? Supporting Federal Workers ??? 3/19: Rules as Code Roundtable ?? New Digital Identity Research and Community of Practice Videos ??New Resources on the Digital Gov Hub ?? Check out spotlights on opportunities, events, and research from InnovateUS, Civilla, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, U.S. Digital Response, New America, NYC Opportunity, Food Research & Action Center, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, National Association of State Workforce Agencies, APHSA -- American Public Human Services Association, KFF Health News, National Academy of Social Insurance, Work for America

There's still time to register for Wednesday's workshop discussing climate resilience and human-centered design in the public sector! Join us for this free session led by Elham Ali, MPH, PMP (Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation), Jorge Valens, MPA (Miami-Dade County IT) and Liz Boyer (City of Saint Paul). All attendees receive a certificate of completion. Register here https://lnkd.in/efpFavtW

Last year, we launched our ?? Digital Service Team (DST) Tracker ?? to investigate the ever-increasing number of U.S.-based government DSTs and their varied structures. The Tracker has consistently proven itself one of our most popular resources, with 2,200+ views since we launched in October 2024. When we launched the Tracker, we set out to support critical conversation about how DSTs across the U.S. are funded and layered into organizational structures. Within the current context of federal layoffs and the shifting landscape of U.S. government talent with core digital competencies, the Tracker is more relevant than ever. We’re hearing from folks across our network of digital government practitioners that the Tracker is an essential tool helping them navigate this moment. To ensure the Tracker remains a valuable resource, we’re thrilled to roll out our?DST Tracker 2.0?with several new features. Highlights include: ?? New form pathways to submit a new team?OR?update an existing team's information? ??? A cleaner user interface ?? "Quick hit" drop-down buttons to easily group by level of government or team operational status ? Engaging with DST Tracker 2.0? ?? If you’ve been using the DST Tracker since our initial launch, be sure to bookmark the new link for our 2.0 version. If you’re new to the Tracker, learn more about its development on the Digital Government Hub.? ?? If you would like to see your DST’s information captured and verified alongside others in the field, fill out our DST Tracker intake form.? ?? If your team is already captured in the Tracker and you’d like to submit an update, click on the “Update team info” button next to your team’s name. ?? Explore our DST Tracker 2.0 ???https://lnkd.in/eN6_xJJG As always, you can connect with the DSN with your questions and ideas. Email us at?[email protected].?We look forward to continuing to grow and improve this database with your support and collaboration! ??

Check out this month’s edition of the Beeck Center Bulletin ?? https://lnkd.in/eNqKmkCA In this edition, learn about: ?? The launch of the State Chief Data Officer Tracker ?? Lynn Overmann being featured on the Washington Post ?? Highlights from our Student Analyst program’s Lifeworks & Learn sessions ?? Upcoming events about human-centered design, rules as code, and climate resilience ?? Connecting cities and states with talented public servants through Civic Tech Match ?? The City of Seattle’s journey to building a human-centered honoraria policy #BeeckCenterBulletin #SocialImpact #GovTech #CivicTech? #DSN #DBN

Last week, I spoke with Geoffrey Fowler at @WashingtonPost about DOGE’s approach to deploying AI across agencies. The lack of transparency and guardrails is alarming. AI cannot replace human expertise and context—when implemented without understanding its limitations, it leads to inefficiency, errors, and harm. At Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, we believe thoughtful, responsible AI adoption is essential. Rushing forward without safeguards threatens both government effectiveness and public trust. Also, here are insights from my colleagues Jennifer Pahlka Elizabeth Laird and Ann Lewis. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/edw8x8V5

Executive Director Lynn Overmann on DOGE using AI to identify waste and fraud in the federal government “It's actually going to end up, I would imagine, creating more inefficiency by having them chasing down rabbit holes that won't actually lead them to better programming or actually uncovering fraud.” https://lnkd.in/eFE-B4mP

With the current wave of federal firings across U.S. Digital Service, Presidential Innovation Fellows, the U.S. Digital Corps, and other government agencies, the Beeck Center will continue to support public servants. Read our Executive Director Lynn Overmann’s post on the impact of these firings and our commitment as an organization to make a people-centered, digitally enabled government for all.