Alexandra (Alexa) DeVoe

Accessibility Engineer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Alexandra DeVoe is a seasoned accessibility engineer with experience in creating accessible design systems and creating web accessibility training. Her philosophy is that every user should have barrier-free and equal access to online forms, services, and applications. A lifelong musician, Alexandra became the first winner of the Steintoberfest Song Contest held by Steinberg/Yamaha USA in 2013.

Yu-Li Hunsicker

Sr. UX/UI Designer + Accessibility Advocate, Last Call Media

Yu-Li is an accessibility-focused designer who's passionate about making the digital world work for everyone. She collaborates with organizations to build digital experiences where people of all abilities can succeed without barriers, creating spaces online that feel as welcoming and intuitive as they are secure.

Karissa Minnich (she/her)

Civic Design Manager, The Lab @ DC, District of Columbia Government

For the past 9 years, I've served DC residents at The Lab @ DC–a design and research team in the DC Office of the City Administrator. Currently, I lead The Lab’s Civic Design team working to make government services easy to find and use. The topics I work on are as diverse as the challenges DC faces–education, economic prosperity, housing, public safety, and transportation–to name a few.

Sharon Bautista

Director of Qualitative Research, Code for America

At Code for America, Sharon leads a team of researchers who work across Code for America’s focus areas. Her session at this year's FormFest focuses on Code for America's partnership with the Arizona Department of Economic Security to design a new integrated benefits application form. Sharon is based in Chicago.

Ruthie Nachmany

Product, Platform Team, New Jersey Office of Innovation

Ruthie Nachmany is a product manager on the platform team at the New Jersey Office of Innovation, where she has driven measurable improvements in benefits delivery for over 1 million residents. Her team develops the AI Assistant (the GenAI tool used by the state’s public professionals) as well as other scalable infrastructure that expands New Jersey’s capacity to serve residents.

Rocio Rodarte

Senior Program Manager, Code for America

Rocio Rodarte wants to help change the narrative on what is possible when program design and implementation put people first and lead with equity. As a Senior Program Manager at Code for America, she works with multi-disciplinary teams in order to improve access for Safety Net programs.

Jesse Gardner

Director of User Research, New York State

Design → Engineer → Design

Rachael Zuppke

Legal Design Strategist, Civil Legal Design

I am a user experience researcher specializing in legal design. I worked for years as a paralegal focused on eviction prevention and public benefit maintenance and now consult with courts to enhance access to justice initiatives through human-centered design.

Kristyn Berry

Family Experience Product Owner, Department of Early Education & Care

Hi! I'm Kristyn Berry and I am a product owner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Before now, I worked as a human factors engineer at a medical device consultancy, and in UX design, research, and management at a biotech company. One of my favorite things to do is use service design to dig into complicates problem spaces. I live in Boston with my partner and three wild kiddos!

Nicola Coakley

Research and Policy Manager, City of Philadelphia

Nicola serves as a Research and Policy Manager at the City of Philadelphia. She supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of Zero Fare, a program providing subsidized transit passes to residents living in poverty. Nicola is passionate about using evidence and data to improve government and social programs, and in turn, the experiences of residents.

Cassandra (Casey) Henderson

Director of Research, Analytics, and Evaluation, City of Philadelphia

Casey leads the business unit of the IDEA team—which oversees and operates the City’s cross-systems data hub—to help leverage administrative data to meet a wide variety of City needs, from operational applications of data to large-scale research and evaluation efforts. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Duke University.

Mei Tan

Independent UX Strategist & Product Designer

Designer. I specialize in simplifying complex systems and improving the way people interact with critical services. Spent a lot of time in London and Singapore, now based in San Francisco admiring all the dogs that pass by.

Lisa Carter

Senior Product Designer, USDR

Will update later

Megan Marini

Community-Centered Designer and Planner @ 3x3

Founding director at 3x3 focusing on collaborative processes to democratize urban development and public decision-making.

Karyn Lu

Product + DEI Leader, State of Colorado - Behavioral Health Administration

As a product leader and DEI practitioner, my work philosophy is driven by the curb-cut effect. I was a founding member of the Colorado Digital Service, and am currently working with Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration.

Greg Knaddison

Web Application Engineer, State of Colorado Behavioral Health Administration

Most of my experience is building web applications using the open source content management system, Drupal. Through those experiences my work includes performance, security, product management, qualitative research, and a variety of other areas.

Leo Vogel

Lead UX Designer, New York State Office of Information Technology Services

Leo Vogel is a Product Designer with 10 years of UI/UX experience, specializing in design systems, with a focus on SAAS startups. He acts as a force multiplier on any design team with a 2.7x higher productivity rate that he applies to optimizing workflows and crafting intuitive products. Leo is continuously learning and always looking for new opportunities to improve the lives of more people.

Jordana Bitar (she/her)

Senior Designer and Researcher, Focus Consulting

Multidisciplinary researcher and designer interested in advancing access to public benefits. With 12+ years of experience across government, healthcare, and enterprise, I strive to use inclusive, trauma-informed practices that center lived experiences. I'm also a mom to an amazing little girl and Batalá percussionist, where I'm reminded of why joyful collaboration matters.

Babs Deffenderfer

Doorway Housing Portal Listings and Partnerships Project Manager, Bay Area Housing Finance Authority

I have 10 years of experience working in California's Bay Area in affordable housing and local government. I hold a master's degree in public administration with a focus in e-government. I live in Oakland, California with my wife. I enjoy riding my bike and backpacking in the Sierras.

Ben Turndorf

Product Manager, New Jersey Office of Innovation

I'm Ben is a product manager on the Resident Experience Initiative team at the Office of Innovation, working to make it easier for New Jersey residents to access state resources and programs. Prior to joining the Office, Ben worked as a product manager at a Fortune 500 restaurant technology company. Outside of work, Ben is an avid cook, loves to climb, and has a daily Zen practice.

Kirsten Wyatt (she/her)

Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University

I'm proud to serve as the MC for FormFest 2025! When I'm not form fan girling, I lead the Digital Service Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University.

Barry Roeder

Manager, Doorway (affordable housing placement)

Career in product development, moved to public sector after time abroad shifted my priorities. Love connecting with other folks working on affordable housing, especially placement challenges.

Anirban Sen

Senior Product Manager, California Department of Technology

Nerd doing nerdy things in life and tech.

Glenn Brown

Doorway Technical Operations Manager, Bay Area Housing Finance Authority

Girl Dad Cat Dad Mostly Water

Triana Kalmanoff (she/her)

Content Strategist & UX Researcher, Bloom Works

Usability and accessibility specialist focused on creating simple experiences out of complex processes. I build tools that elevate the impact of public services and streamline social good.

Natalia Luzuriaga

Software Engineer, Digital Service at CMS

Software Engineer in the CMS Open Source Program Office | US Digital Corps Fellow

Remy DeCausemaker

Open Source Lead, Digital Service at CMS.gov

Remy helps developers, designers, and other contributors work with civil servants to create open and accessible healthcare technology projects, programs, and policy. Through his work with the US Digital Corps and the Digital Service at CMS, Remy improves access to Information, and grows communities of practice around Open Data, Open Standards, and Open Source code.

Karla Ramirez

Eligibility Specialist, LIHEAP/ DCAD, Arizona Department of Economic Security

Worked for the state for 5 years, started with PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) then went to Rental & Utility assistance and now just Utility assistance.

Lyndsey Marie Richardson

Design Director, NYC Service Design Studio

Lyndsey Richardson (she/they) has worked in NYC government since 2015. She is committed to participatory design as a decolonizing and healing practice to move towards a network of human services that respond to the realities, strengths, and desires that communities define themselves.

Izzie Hirschy-Reyes

Senior Product Manager, Exygy

Izzie is passionate about helping governments create better services through technology and sustainable processes. You can find her working remotely from Washington DC.

Sean Isamu Johnson

Designer/Researcher, Center for Civic Design

Sean is a designer, researcher, and the resident plain language expert at CCD. He combines his knowledge of information design, user experience, and understanding of the law to bring down barriers between people and their government.

Kaylyn Van Norstrand

Software Engineer, Nava

I’m a software engineer with more than 10 years of experience crafting scalable, user-centric applications. I thrive on turning blank pages into shipped products. Outside of work, I stay competitive playing ultimate frisbee and unwind with Japanese anime and video games.

Jillian Hammer

Senior Designer/Researcher, Nava

Jillian Hammer (she/her) is a Senior Designer/Researcher on the Nava Labs team, a division of Nava PBC that prototypes policy and systems change. Drawing on her roots in community organizing and a multidisciplinary design and artistic practice, she brings a justice-centered perspective to experiments with AI, focusing on keeping technology accountable and responsive to the people it serves.

Elyse Tibbetts

Priority Access Manager, Department of Early Education and Care

Aspirational leader in in the public early education sector focused on promoting family access and economic mobility through public benefit reforms and building collaborative networks. Enthusiastic interest in: nature, animals, my kids (10 & 9), cooking & music

Lynn Overmann

Executive Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation

Lynn Overmann is the executive director at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. Lynn graduated from the NYU School of Law and received her Bachelor of Arts from Bryn Mawr College. A career spanning policy, data, and delivery has prepared her as a leader intent on maximizing social impact. Lynn’s extensive delivery experience includes serving as a senior advisor for delivery with the U.S. Digital Service, embedded in the Domestic Policy Council. There, she advised then Ambassador Susan Rice on priority policy implementation. In this role, Lynn oversaw teams of digital service experts across diverse projects, including targeted efforts to make the asylum system more effective and humane, increasing access to federal funding for low-capacity communities, and improving the delivery of safety net benefits. Lynn also served as a senior advisor for delivery at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she led the department’s work to leverage data and human-centered design to advance equity, streamline critical funding programs, and improve insights into rural economies. The strategic use of data to improve people’s daily lives has been a constant driver throughout Lynn’s career. She has served as a senior data strategist at Opportunity Insights, a Harvard University-based research and policy institute that leverages big data to improve economic mobility. She also held several senior policy positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she helped establish the Access to Justice office, and served as deputy chief data officer in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lynn also founded the Data-Driven Justice Initiative while working as senior policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Obama administration. In December 2024, Lynn’s ability to use technology to transform outdated systems was highlighted in her testimony before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. Lynn’s innovative use of data and digital delivery as a tools for justice reflects a career dedicated to advancing this mission. She served as a vice president of criminal justice and head of the D.C. office at Arnold Ventures, where she led a team that developed and executed a multimillion-dollar grant portfolio focused on leveraging data and technology to reduce low-level arrests in police departments across the country. Before this, Lynn was a civil rights and criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida, spending the first five years of her career as a public defender, litigating dozens of cases to jury trials and successfully challenging unconstitutional practices in police departments and jails.

Lena Selzer

Co-Founder & COO, Civilla

Lena Selzer is Co-founder and COO of Civilla, a nonprofit design studio working to transform public-serving institutions through human-centered design. She leads strategy to put design into practice at scale—with a focus on shaping public services that build trust and work better for the people who use them every day.

Caroline Kyungae Smith

Chief Transformation Officer, CA Dept of Technology

Caroline Kyungae Smith, Chief Transformation Officer at California’s Dept of Technology, is an expert in systems design, change management, and digital transformation. With 10+ years in human-centered design, she has improved critical federal payment systems, led major healthcare program redesigns, and now helps state leaders transform complex services for Californians.

Stephen Rockwell

Chief Innovation Officer, Imagine LA (Amplifi)

He is Chief Innovation Officer at Amplifi/ImagineLA and is the founder of HumanServices.ai and iBluePrint.ai. Stephen previously served as Chief Digital Officer at BDT and Chief Program Officer and CTO at Charity Navigator. Stephen has built AI-driven products and models for social impact, advised federal and state governments on AI policy, and sat on PAI's Global Task Force on Inclusive AI.

Isaac Milarsky

Software Developer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Isaac is a United States Digital Corps fellow and a software developer. He works at the Open Source Program Office at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). He lives in Columbia, MO and enjoys contributing to open source projects as well as enjoying the parks and trails near where he lives.

Brian Whittaker

Executive Director, Humans of Public Service

I'm the founder of Humans of Public Service (HOPS). We have shared over 200 stories of public servants across Federal, State and Local government. If you enjoy listening to music, solving puzzles, British crime dramas, or tacos, you're good in my book. My dream is to DJ my 50th birthday party (I have no DJing equipment or experience) and take HOPS global. Add me on LinkedIn!

Molly Graham

Consultant, Public Policy Lab

Molly Graham (they/she) is a consultant, researcher, and strategist with a focus on speculative futures, housing policy, climate justice, and urban design. They have experience working first-hand within rural and urban communities, from the highlands of Scotland and the Blue Ridge Mountains to all five boroughs of New York City.

Sachin Panayil

Software Engineer @ Digital Services at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

A Full Stack Developer passionate about open source and healthcare. Working at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Open Source Program Office, I contribute to improving open source healthcare software that serves millions of Americans, while expanding my expertise as an engineer. Currently building tools revolving around the SHARE IT Act and the National Provider Directory.

Charna Widby

Assistant Director, First 5 Riverside County

I serve as Assistant Director at First 5 Riverside County, a department of county government dedicated to early childhood. I oversee investments in Family Resource Centers, home visiting, and cross-agency prevention strategies. My focus is building equitable systems that strengthen families, align public resources, and ensure children thrive from the start.

Rosa Olivas

Lead Benefit Eligibility Specialist, Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)

I am currently a lead benefit eligibility specialist. I have been working with DES for over 6 years now. I enjoy what I do, I look forward to helping those clients in their time of need.

Dinne Kopelevich

Software Engineer @ The Digital Services at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

I bring diverse experience from commercial and event production to my DSAC role. When the pandemic impacted my industry, I returned to school and transitioned to software development through contract work at Good Face and MakeIt MVP. This unique blend of creative and technical expertise enhances my contributions to the team.

Ariel Kennan

Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation

Ariel Kennan (she/her) is a Senior Director at the Beeck Center, where she researches and advises on advancing design, data, and technology for accessible and equitable delivery of public benefits. Ariel leads the Digital Benefits Network to support practitioners in current and near term challenges in public benefits delivery and envisioning future policies, services, and technologies.

Katherine B. Nammacher (she/her)

Product Lead & NJ OOI

Katherine B. Nammacher is a product lead and user researcher at the New Jersey Office of Innovation. She is passionate about building products that make users feel seen, empowered, and informed. Prior to joining New Jersey, she founded a Y Combinator-backed start-up focused on de-escalating 911 calls that involve mental illness, and has worked at the White House.

Lucas Vaqueiro

Program Strategist & Civic Designer, 3x3

I am a NYC-based civic designer, researcher, and educator working with city governments across the Americas, from São Paulo to New York and Montreal to Montevideo, to make stronger public institutions through better service delivery. I have an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons and currently work as a program strategist at 3x3.

Amanda Sanchez

Designer/Researcher, Nava PBC

✻ Design Researcher @ Nava PBC • Civic Techie • Chicanx • First-Gen • Current Yinzer ✻

Steven Mah

Complaint and Enforcement Manager, Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA)

With over fifteen years of dedicated service to Colorado public health agencies and extensive experience in regulatory enforcement, I am deeply passionate about my current role at the Behavioral Health Administration. I thrive on the daily challenges and opportunities to enhance behavioral health services across our state.

Gabriela Dorantes

Design Director, Civilla

As Design Director at Civilla, Gaby Dorantes has a deep expertise in health and human services delivery. She led research and design for the redesign of Michigan’s benefits application and renewals, and is now working to scale Civilla’s impact nationally – leading similar transformations in Missouri, Washington, Connecticut, and beyond.

Ayushi Roy

Chief Program Officer at New Practice Lab

Ayushi Roy is a technologist, writer, lecturer, and government implementation expert. She is currently the Chief Program Officer of the New Practice Lab at New America, researching and designing more effective and equitable systems for public benefits aimed at American families. Roy's work includes authoring the Congressionally-mandated independent assessment of the IRS Direct File system, modernizing Wisconsin’s legacy system for Unemployment Insurance, co-authoring the Unemployment Insurance playbook used by the U.S. Department of Labor in response to COVID-19, securing the historic win for Login.gov to serve state and local governments for the first time, and streamlining the grants infrastructure for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which provides healthcare for more than 70 million Americans including 9 million children. She formerly served at 18F as the Director of State and Local Technology, and on the leadership team managing investments for the US Technology Modernization Fund, a $1B fund based out of the General Services Administration and White House Office of Management and Budget to modernize technology and improve customer experience across the federal government. She teaches Digital Government and founded the course on Digital Benefits Delivery at the Harvard Kennedy School, has been published and interviewed by outlets including The Washington Post, Vox, Bloomberg Tax, and CNBC, and is an alumna of MIT and Columbia University.

Amanda Renteria

CEO, Code for America

Amanda Renteria leads Code for America (CfA) as CEO, steering a transformative organization that sits at the forefront of civic technology and digital government innovation. Under her leadership, CfA has emerged as a crucial partner to governments and community organizations nationwide, working to realize the vision of "a government by the people, for the people in the digital age."

Danny Mintz

Associate Policy Director for Safety Net, Code for America

Associate Policy Director for Safety Net at Code for America

Andrew Wong-Crocitto

Product Designer, New Jersey State Office of Innovation

Andrew Wong-Crocitto (he/him) is a product designer and accessibility expert working on the Resident Experience team. His work focuses on creating services for New Jerseyans and building accessible practices within the Office of Innovation. Before joining the office, Andrew worked in the private sector across finance, healthcare, and technology companies. He has also worked as an adjunct professor and taught classes in digital accessibility in New York City. Andrew has a master of science in library and information sciences from Pratt Institute, and a bachelor of arts in studio art from Stony Brook University. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring different types of art, movies, and music.

Joseph Ledoux

EDDNext Project Administrator, CA - Employment Development Department

I spent 20+ years at CA Franchise Tax Board as an Auditor, Info Security, and much of the time managing the internal and external websites. My background is in UX, CX, Data Analytics and Accessibility. I moved over to EDD about two years ago to manage the $1.2B innovation project. I have also coached a USA Swim Team for the past 30+ years and I'm an avid beekeeper.

Arlene Corbin Lewis

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Code for America

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at Code for America

Sam Brennan

Design Director

As a Design Director at Civilla, Sam Brennan works toward expanding the agencies and institutions that Civilla supports. Previously, he was a key leader in the redesign of Michigan’s benefits application, renewals, and correspondence. He also led the team’s effort to enable same-day processing for benefits across the state.