Washingtech Tech Policy Podcast With Joe Miller

Marcus Jiménez is  Founder and CEO of Sticky Docs—a content creation, data visualization and publishing platform for enterprises of all kinds. In 2014, Sticky Docs was the winner of the Tabby Business Award for Best Enterprise Marketing app.  Marcus has also been recognized by Agency Post, the American Marketers Association, the Art Director’s Club, The Society of Publication Designers, and the ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition, where he was honored as a Change Agent Award Recipient, and currently serves on its Board of Directors. In this episode, we discussed:  a process for better storytelling to make your white papers and other information products more relevant and engaging. Marcus' new incubator that helps entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups learn to run successful companies. the top 3 things you should be doing to make your content stand out from the pack. Resources StickyDocs HueCoLab The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steven Case FlipBoard (iOS|Android)

Melissa A. Rasberry (@MelRasberry) is the senior technical assistance consultant at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she serves as the principal investigator for the CS10K Community, an online community of practice for computer science teachers sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She has created and facilitated over 35 virtual communities throughout her career, providing effective online professional learning experiences for educators. Dr. Rasberry began as a third grade teacher and a principal intern at two diverse elementary schools in Durham NC. Her professional interests span the teaching continuum—from recruitment and preparation to professional development and retention.  In this episode, we discussed: how to train computer science teachers with non-CS degrees. how to inspire students who do not initially see the relevance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). how parents can prevent the "summer melt" and encourage their children to build on their STEM skills t

Viola Llewellyn (@VALlewellyn) is co-founder, President and CEO of Ovamba Solutions Inc. Based in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Ovamba matches global investors to qualified African Small and Medium Sized Enterprises who need short term funding. Ovamba is backed by Crowdcredit in Japan, Courtyard Capital in the UK, and GLI in Guernsey who themselves are backed by Blackrock Global, AXA Investment Managers, and Barclays Wealth. Average size investments in businesses across Ovamba's portfolio is around $50,000, with as little as $3,000 all the way up to $500,000 invested. The success rate of the companies Ovamba works with is 98%, delivering between a 13 and 18 percent return on investment. In this episode, we discussed: the role of financial technology ("fintech") in helping Africa-based business access capital. how to cultivate a mindset that will help you overcome obstacles in your career. Resources: Ovamba African Business Angel Network (ABAN) Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss The Storytelling Book by Anthony Ta

Victor Yocco (@VictorYocco) is a User Experience researcher working for EY Intuitive out of Philadelphia. He has written several articles for the likes of A List Apart and Smashing Magazine and has recently written a book about user experience research called Design for the Mind: 7 Psychological Principals for Persuasive Design, which will be available this month. He earned both his undergraduate degree and PhD at Ohio State. In this episode, we discussed: The 7 key psychological principals for effective user interface design and how to apply them to websites focused on policy. How organizations can reduce alcoholism in the workplace. Resources: victoryocco.com Design for the Mind: Seven Psychological Principals for Persuasive Design by Victor Yocco (2016) COUPON CODE FOR 39% oFF THE COVER PRICE: SMAYOCCO Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2011)

Congressman Bobby Scott and Ximena Hartsock Hon. Bobby Scott United States Congressman Representing Virginia's 3rd Congressional District Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce Ximena Hartsock (@ximenahartsock) is co-founder and President of Phone2Action. Phone2 Action’s digital grassroots platform makes it easy for your organization to attract and engage supporters. Social media, calling and email advocacy tools connect supporters to elected officials at every level, from city council to federal delegations, as well as to civic programs. Ximena is an advocate at heart and has been involved in social advocacy campaigns since she was 11. Prior to co-founding Phone2ACtion, she managed membership and outreach for a national advocacy organization, where she ran hundreds of campaigns across the US. She has also held numerous leadership positions in Washington, DC, including spending time as a Principal, Assistant Superintendent and Agency Director. In 2009, she was appointed to the Executive Ca

Joe Torres (@JosephATorres) is Senior External Affairs Director at Free Press. Joseph advocates in Washington to ensure that our nation’s media policies serve the public interest and builds coalitions to broaden the movement's base. Joseph writes frequently on media and Internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media. He is the 2015 recipient of the Everett C. Parker Award, which recognizes an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest. In this episode, we discussed: The historic underpinnings of today's racial narrative in the media. How net neutrality and the internet can circumvent persistent gaps in traditional media ownership diversity. The policy implications arising from how consumers access news on modern platforms such as Facebook and Google. Resources: Free Press News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres

Bruce Lincoln (@brucelincoln) is the co-founder of Silicon Harlem, which is focused on transforming Harlem into a hub for tech and innovation. He is also a senior fellow of the Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information at the Columbia Business School, and was previously the entrepreneur in residence at Columbia’s Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE).   Bruce has been involved in cutting edge technology product development and technology commercialization since the late 80's, when as the first Ford Fellow in Educational Technology, he was one of the early CD ROM content developers for Apple. He also developed the first program to bring broadband to public schools in New York City.   In this episode we discussed: How New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration has worked to ensure New York City's tech sector is as diverse as the city itself. How local community organizations such as Silicon Harlem can help ensure youth are engaged in tech from an early age. How

Wayne Sutton (@waynesutton) is a serial entrepreneurCo-founder of Change catalyst . Change Catalyst is dedicated to exploring innovative solutions to diversity and inclusion in tech through the Tech Inclusion Conference, consulting and workshops. Wayne’s experience includes years of establishing partnerships with large brands to early stage startups. As a leading voice in diversity and inclusion in tech, Wayne shares his thoughts on solutions and culture in various media outlets where he has been featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to mentoring and advising early stage startups, Wayne’s life goal is to educate entrepreneurs who are passionate about using technology to change the world. In this episode we discussed: The critical pain points tech companies are experiencing when it comes to diverse hiring. Which tech companies are blazing trails in diversity, setting the standard for the rest of the industry. How recent grads can cope with issues related to workplace

Catherine McCullough (@TechonTires) ( is Executive Director of the Intelligent Car Coalition. Ms. McCullough was raised in Washington and has worked in politics and policy for over twenty-five years. She speaks regularly on issues such as data use, privacy, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, driver attention, the government’s role in technological innovation, and more. Ms. McCullough is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post; serves on panels for conferences such as SXSW Interactive, CTIA Super Mobility, and CE Week-New York; has appeared on shows such as The Communicators; has published op-eds for beltway publications; and is regularly interviewed by media outlets that cover connected car issues. She is an attorney and also holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science. Prior to her work with the Coalition, Ms. McCullough advised leading companies on critical public affairs matters and served as a Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. At the Commerce Commi

Sarah Morris (@sarmorris) is Senior policy counsel for the Open Technology Institute at New America, Sarah Morris leads the policy team's strategic efforts on issues related broadband access and adoption, online consumer protections, and preserving the open Internet. Her work on network neutrality has been widely quoted in a number of national publications, and she has appeared as an expert on radio and television outlets. She is a regular contributor for The Hill, and frequently writes for a variety of other national outlets. Prior to joining New America, Ms. Morris was a Google Policy Fellow with the public interest law firm Media Access Project, where she assisted with research and drafting of FCC comments on a wide range of key communications issues. She earned a B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a J.D. and LL.M. in Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law from Nebraska Law, completing her thesis on privacy and security concerns related to Smart Grid technology. She currently serves on the

Katja Schroeder (@schroek) is an Adjunct Professor at St.Francis College where she teaches International Marketing andSocial Media Marketing. She is the Managing Director of Bloom, atransmedia  startup agency within the Ruder Finn globalnetwork that helps companies thrive with integrated marketingcommunications campaigns across social channels and digitalscreens. Katja has developedaward-winning integrated communications and marketing programs forcompanies  of all sizes in North America, Europe and Asia.Katja holds a M.A. in Communications andBusiness Administration from the FU Berlin (Germany) and a M.A. inCommunications and Information Sciences from CELSA/Sorbonne, Paris(France).  She is a published author and frequently blogsabout entrepreneurship, digital media and  the way technologyinnovation enables sustainable development. She is on the Board ofthe St. Francis College's Center for Entrepreneurship. In this episode we discussed The one thing organizations do wrong when it comes to theircontent and soc

Brian Woolfolk (@brianpwoolfolk) is a seasoned attorney with over 20 years of government relations and congressional investigations experience. He represents a broad array of clients with matters before Congress and federal agencies. Brian also counsels clients involved in high profile Congressional Investigations. In addition, he advises clients on compliance with federal election, lobbying disclosure and gift ban regulations. Prior to his tenure in private practice, Brian served as a Democratic counsel on the US House Judiciary Committee and advised members and staff on constitutional, environmental, antitrust, criminal justice and investigative issues. Brian also served as legislative counsel to Congressman Robert C. (Bobby) Scott of Virginia, currently the Ranking Member of the Education and Workforce Committee. In this episode we discussed: How cable networks make money outside of advertising. How the FCC's proposed set-top box rules can help improve content diversity. The "big picture" of policies affe

Patrick Gusman (@Lancieux) is the Chief Operating Officer of Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY). Prior to joining SBY, Patrick was the President and Managing Director of the Equal Footing Foundation, and Managing Director of Social Sector Innovations' Startup Middle School a pilot program that trains and develops a sustainable pipeline of early-stage masters of disruptive technologies from underrepresented backgrounds at the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science (MS)2. Prior to his work with the Equal Footing Foundation and Social Sector Innovations, he was the Executive Director of the TechNet Foundation, Inc. (ConvergeUS) and Chief innovation Officer at the National Urban League. At ConvergeUS he helped give birth to a series of social innovation including MyMilitaryLife. In his work at the National Urban League, Gusman managed strategic planning and was responsible for introducing a groundbreaking social media effort, www.iamempowered.com. Gusman received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law

Natalie Cofield (@ncofield) has carved a niche for herself as an entrepreneur, advocate, and speaker on all things business and diversity. Her work has spanned continents, communities and corporations and can currently be found impacting lives and bottom-lines at organizations in cities including Austin, New York, DC, LA, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Nairobi and beyond.    A converted management consultant, economic fellow, and economic development director she is the Immediate Past President of the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, Founding President of the Austin Black Technology Council and Founder of Walker’s Legacy a national women in business collective.    Natalie recently co-founded urban-co lab-- urban innovation focused co-working space and startup incubator designed for community change-makers and innovators looking to create solutions for urban problems throughout the nation.   A graduate of Howard and the Baruch School of Public Affairs in New York, her work has been featured in Forbes, Busin

Beverly Parenti (@thebev) is co-founder and Executive Director of The Last Mile—a nonprofit focused on providing education and training inside prison that can result in gainful employment upon reentry, thereby reducing recidivism and helping redirect spending from prisons to education.    Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan recently visited San Quentin prison to spend time with inmates who are participating in Last Mile’s coding boot camp called Code.7370. On the day of his visit, Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook QUOTE “We can’t jail our way to a just society.” END QUOTE   Last Mile’s programming is one of the most requested prison education programs in the U.S. It’s the FIRST program to offer a computer programming curriculum that teaches men and women to become software engineers. The Last Mile will be in six prisons (including 2 women’s facilities by the end of this year, and expand outside of California next year.     In this episode we discussed: The critical need for programming to not only train i

Yondi K. Morris-Andrews (@YondiMorris) is a founding partner of Knight, Morris & Reddick Law Group (@KMRLawGroup). She specializes in various practice areas including corporate, entertainment, and real estate transactions. With her corporate clients, Mrs. Morris-Andrews works mostly with start-up companies, offering them advice on how to form as an entity, while drafting and negotiating contracts on the company’s behalf. Morris-Andrews offers creative solutions for her entrepreneur clients, and is able to guide them as they grow from the start-up phase to experienced businesses. She has been hired by her clients to act as general counsel, handling any needs that might arise from the day-to-day responsibilities of running a business. For her entertainment clients, Morris-Andrews drafts and reviews contracts including licensing, agent and artist agreements, and will negotiate deals on her client’s behalf. Ranging from an independent play writer to a talent management company, Morris-Andrews assists her clie

John Bergmayer (@bergmayer) is a Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge, specializing in telecommunications, Internet, and intellectual property issues. He advocates for the public interest before courts and policymakers, and works to make sure that all stakeholders--including ordinary citizens, artists, and technological innovators--have a say in shaping emerging digital policies. In this episode we discussed: a brief history of net neutrality, what it means and how we got to where we are today. what "zero rating" is and how it affects media diversity, competition and consumers. how Comcast's Stream TV may violate one of the promises Comcast made in exchange for the FCC's approval of its merger with NBC/Universal in 2011. the factors the FCC will use to determine whether Comcast's "Stream TV" violates the FCC's net neutrality rules. Resources Public Knowledge Public Knowledge's FCC Complaint Regarding Comcast's Stream TV Service Google Inbox The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History o

Lateef Mtima is a Professor of Law at the Howard University School of Law. After graduating with honors from Amherst College, Professor Mtima received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, where he was the co-founder and later editor-in-chief of the Harvard BlackLetter Journal. He is admitted to the New York and Pennsylvania bars and has practiced intellectual property, bankruptcy, and commercial law, including a decade in private practice with the international law firm of Coudert Brothers. Currently a member of the Advisory Council for the United States Court of Federal Claims, Professor Mtima has held the post of Distinguished Libra Visiting Scholar in Residence at the University of Maine School of Law, is a past President of the Giles S. Rich Inn of Court for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and was a member of the founding Editorial Board for the American Bar Association intellectual property periodical Landslide. Professor Mtima is the Founder and Director of the Institute

Susan Walters is the Senior Vice President of the California Emergency Technology Fund a non-profit that focuses on closing the digital divide in California. She was previously the Regional Director of Community Relations for Citibank in Greater Southern California. Prior to Citibank she operated a small consulting practice in corporate social responsibility. The work focused on building strategic partnerships between nonprofit organizations and corporations, strategic planning, communications and marketing. She has worked in myriad areas ranging from telecommunications policy, disability access to multimedia projects. Examples of her work include designing a highly successful technology job training program for low income adults and youth, creating a brand strategy for a buy local food campaign and marketing programs to reach emerging markets. Her firm's clients included: AOL, Verizon, Microsoft, Independent Television Service (ITVS), San Francisco Giants, Freddie Mac Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation an