VP, Data and Insight Products

• Jan 2022 - Present

Founder/Principal

• 2018 - Present

Applying the science of behavior to the art of storytelling to strengthen liberal democracy in the United States-Expert consultant in media effects, behavioral science, design thinking, and social impact-Apply research and data to produce narrative content to strengthen audience’s ability to respond to misinformation-Developed innovative framework for social impact that utilizes best practices in behavioral science, data science, design thinking, and narrative storytelling-Serve as subject expert on media and technology effects for Harmony Lab’s forthcoming podcast-Produced two get-out-the-vote social media spots for the 2018 midterm election, applying data-driven, behavioral strategies to encourage voting among young people-Created and executed a randomized controlled trial using Qualtrics and Mechanical Turk to identify the most effective get-out-the-vote messages for Proof’s “I Vote Because…” campaign-Executive producer, Anomaly, post-apocalyptic drama set in rural Illinois designed to strengthen audience information management skills

Term Member

• 2016 - Present

Data Scientist, Nigeria Security Tracker

• 2012 - Present

-Oversee and manage the Nigeria Security Tracker, a political violence data tool used to influence government, NGO, foundation, and international institution policy -Advise nonprofit, government, and media partners on conflict analysis and methodology using NST data-Produce original research and thought leadership utilizing data and visualizations. Recent publications include analysis and visualizations about Boko Haram, sectarian violence, and electoral violence. Analysis featured recently by BBC and US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Research Associate, Africa

• 2009 - 2012

Established the Council on Foreign Relations Africa program with senior fellow John Campbell, including developing a strategic vision for influencing Africa policy, building partnerships with policymakers in government, private sector, and civil society, creating and growing a publishing and communications platform, and overseeing and executing a diverse research agenda-Led the Africa program’s research on how the spread of digital communication technologies (Internet, mobile phones, mobile networks, social media) are impacting democracy and governance-Co-created the Nigeria Security Tracker and Sub-Saharan Security Tracker, data visualization projects to map political violence in Africa-Co-founded and oversaw one of CFR’s first and most widely read blogs, ‘Africa in Transition’-Produced several Africa program Youtube “explainer” videos-Developed and maintained relationships with a wide range of journalists, and online, print, TV, and radio publishers to inform and influence Africa public policy-Published thought leadership. on democracy and governance, economics, technology, and entrepreneurship in Africa in the Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Global Post, Project Syndicate, and CFR.org-Conducted substantial research, writing, and editing for John Campbell’s books, “Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink,” and “Morning in South Africa” -Planned and executed field research in South Africa for Amb. John Campbell’s book, “Morning in South Africa"-Established and managed partnerships with Human Rights Watch, Africa.com, the Atlantic, and Johns Hopkins-Served as a long-term election observer for Nigeria's 2011 presidential elections

Senior Program Manager

• 2017 - 2018

-Led design research teams of 4 to 7 to bring complex, multi-stakeholder social impact projects to reality, including developing an open data strategy for civic engagement in Madison, WI (Sunlight Foundation); strengthening Kenya’s independent media (Omidyar Network), and evaluating Ford Foundation’s Technology Fellow program-Kenya media research and recommendations directly informed the creation of Baraza Media Lab-Facilitated design thinking workshops for clients, journalists, local researchers, and government/NGO partners-Applied human centered design to deliver actionable insights; owned relationships with clients, such as Ford Foundation and Omidyar Network, oversaw budgets, timelines, and deliverables, represented Reboot externally, and mentored junior team members

Innovation Lead, Polio, Innovation Unit

• 2013 - 2017

-Lead field innovation teams to leverage mobile phones and digital communications in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to support social change for polio eradication. Projects include digital communications in security-compromised and low-connectivity environments, motivating and managing health workers via mobiles, and cloud data applications for evidence-based decision making-Advise on risks and challenges of applying Internet and network technologies for polio program, such as digital communication in authoritarian regimes, data privacy and security in cloud applications, addressing the “digital divide” in programs, and software and hardware considerations-Co-led development of multi-stakeholder strategy for addressing online vaccine misinformation -Created novel strategy and partnerships to produce and distribute a social change entertainment series via mobile phones, reaching 20 million viewers in Nigeria-Co-led Global Polio Eradication Initiative Data Working Group (UNICEF, WHO, BMGF, CDC) to establish best practices and provide recommendations and technical assistance for data-driven decisionmaking-Supported design of NYU graduate course “Behavioral and Communication Strategies in Global Epidemics”-Facilitated design thinking workshops to drive strategic ideation among cross-functional teams-Managed an in-house software development team of up to 5 developers and designers for development of Afghanistan’s polio data platform, Rhizome, and the Global Polio Eradication Program’s platform for its global communication strategy using agile development principles-Co-chair United Nations Innovation Network Working Group on Risk-Taking-Project managed innovation portfolio: developed best practices for innovation, managed budgets, donor reports, and vendor contracts, represented innovation work publicly-Travel frequently to Pakistan and Nigeria to provide technical support for innovation in programs such as mobile and data platform deployments

Program Officer, Africa

• 2012 - 2013

-Oversaw two $4 million USAID cooperative assistance agreements for election and democracy programs in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, including a youth democracy campaign in Nigeria, A Song for Naija-Developed and executed strategies to improve civil society and political party support programs through data management using cloud applications, mobile technology for election monitoring, online local governance accountability platforms, and strategic partnerships for promoting good governance-Owned relationships with donors from USAID, DFID, and National Endowment for Democracy-Provided thought leadership on sub-Saharan Africa democracy, governance, and civic engagement for government officials, NGO, international institutions, and private sector representatives -Managed eight full time staff across offices in Washington, DC, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria-Travelled to the region frequently to provide technical support and oversight to partners

Researcher

• 2008 - 2008

-Researcher on the intersection of economics, poverty, and trafficking in humans and organs -Documented the stories of human organ trafficking victims in Nepal to inform strategic policy recommendations to combat trafficking-Met with victims, interviewed experts, and conducted desk research-Research conducted with the support of the Nepal Institute for Development Studies and funded by the Coalition for Organ-Failure Solutions -Researcher on the intersection of economics, poverty, and trafficking in humans and organs -Documented the stories of human organ trafficking victims in Nepal to inform strategic policy recommendations to combat trafficking-Met with victims, interviewed experts, and conducted desk research-Research conducted with the support of the Nepal Institute for Development Studies and funded by the Coalition for Organ-Failure Solutions

Co-founder/Artist

• 1999 - 2006

-Nationally-distributed, independent touring artist with over 500 performances in 39 states and 9 canadian provinces, 3 full-length albums, and over 10,000 album sales-Early adopter of social media, streaming, and cloud technology for touring, marketing, and music distribution -Organized and managed multiple nationwide tours, including running the “Earn It Yourself” stage on the 2005 Van’s Warped Tour, the country’s largest touring music festival -Nationally-distributed, independent touring artist with over 500 performances in 39 states and 9 canadian provinces, 3 full-length albums, and over 10,000 album sales-Early adopter of social media, streaming, and cloud technology for touring, marketing, and music distribution -Organized and managed multiple nationwide tours, including running the “Earn It Yourself” stage on the 2005 Van’s Warped Tour, the country’s largest touring music festival