Leah Tivoli
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Leah.tivoli@seattle.gov
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Leah has over 10 years of public sector experience. She is passionate about multisector partnerships and governance based on data and evidence. Leah is particularly proud of her recent collaboration across public, non-profit, private, and academic partners to design and scale high-throughput, low-barrier COVID-19 testing sites that have served over 1.2 million people as well as community vaccination sites that removed barriers for vulnerable populations to access vaccines. Outside of work, Leah loves mountaineering, sailing, and other outdoor pursuits. Leah holds Master's degrees in Public Health and Public Administration from the University of Washington.
Madeliene Hernández
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madeliene.hernandez@seattle.gov
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Maddy is an organizational development professional with 10 years of experience working in youth development and philanthropy. Her role at the City focuses on project management and strategy development to advance Mayoral priorities as well as support City departments with service design for Seattle's residents. She is passionate about operationalizing racial equity, creating spaces of belonging, and believes strong internal operations can make a positive impact on how effective the City is at driving changes in our community. Maddy is a board member of Young Women Empowered, a Hispanic in Philanthropy Líderes fellow, a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, and completed University of Washington's Project Management Certificate Program.
Michael Wypyszinski
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michael.wypyszinski@seattle.gov
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Mike is an IT professional focusing on data engineering, automation, and analytics. He has been working with data, databases, and data warehouses for over 20 years and is a graduate of 7 University of Washington Extension Certificate programs covering a wide range of disciplines.
Mike chose to work for the City of Seattle because it is an opportunity to effect real, positive change for people and an opportunity to be part of something bigger than himself.When Mike isn't thinking about the next data engineering solution to tackle, you can find him playing games - board games, tabletop roleplaying games, wargames, etc. on the computer or in person with friends.
Ken Wong
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Ken is a Database-centric Data Engineer whose main focus is managing the flow of data on analytic databases within data warehouses. He has been involved in designing, creating, populating analytic databases and data warehouses for over 5 years. Kenneth graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Statistics. Prior to working for the City of Seattle, Kenneth was a Business Systems Analyst at Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW). CHPW provides Medicaid and Medicare health plans to Washingtonians, which sparked his desire in wanting to work for local governments where he can better serve the people in the community.
Paige St. George
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Paige went to Washington State University and has a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Human Development. She began her professional career in education and community mental health before transitioning to information technology as an ERP Business Process Analyst. After 12 years working from home and raising her family, Paige joined the i-team in 2015 to support them in all things administrative, and continues this role for the IP team.
Long Dinh
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Long is a research-driven designer ready to inspire equitable and empowering solutions. His role focuses on user experience and service design, using applied methodologies to engage with Seattle residents, local communities, and city departments. Long began his professional career as a user-experience researcher and has worked in private and public sectors to inform digital apps and programs. He is passionate about integrating the end user’s voice in the design process and is driven to make complex problems easy to understand and feasible to break through. Long holds a B.S. in Human Centered Design & Engineering from the University of Washington.
Laura Bet
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Laura is a communications professional who is passionate about making government services more accessible, equitable, and transparent for the people we serve. Born and raised in Everett, Washington, Laura attended the University of Washington and started her career with the City of Seattle as an intern. She has since worked in communications roles at the Seattle Office of Economic Development and Seattle Municipal Court. Laura works on the Seattle Rescue Plan team, telling the story of how Seattle Rescue Plan funds have helped our community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaclyn Tsiang
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Jaclyn Tsiang is passionate about using data to improve city processes and better inform decision-making. Prior to working for the City of Seattle, Jaclyn worked as a software engineer at a computer security company, as well as at an urban planning firm focused on community engagement. She hopes to use her technical skills to make Seattle more equitable and livable for all. She holds a degree in computer science and urban studies from Tufts University. In her free time, Jaclyn loves exploring Seattle on bike, spending time in the Cascades and making food with friends.
Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar
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mytoan.nguyen-akbar2@seattle.gov
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Mytoan has over two decades of experience doing research for policy making, advocacy, community-based outreach, higher education, and personal intellectual pursuits with a heavy emphasis on centering communities of color and building community. Mytoan entered City government by way of a Mellon /American Council of Learned Societies Public Fellows position at the Office of Arts & Culture, where she led research-based initiatives and developed a set of impact and assessment tools in the arts sector for better results-based accountability and race and social justice impact.
Mytoan earned her Sociology PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA in Australian Studies from The University of Melbourne, Australia, and a BA in Political Economies of Industrial Societies from UC Berkeley. She has published many articles on race, migration, and social change. She is a Regional Affiliate with the University of Washington Center for Studies of Demography and Ecology.
Mytoan volunteers as a Board Member of Friends of Little Saigon, as Chapter Founder of the Pacific Northwest Public Policy and International Affairs Alumni Association, and formally mentors two different cohorts of PPIA UW Evans rising seniors in college and Leading Edge post-doctoral fellows.
Matthew Sprenke
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Matt is an intrepid problem solver who thrives in a create environment where he is allowed to search for innovative solutions that streamline processes, remove barriers, and solve complex issues. Matt began his technology career at a non-profit organization before a lengthy period at a local coffee giant. He finally settled here at the City of Seattle where he found a new home using his tech skills to the benefit of Seattle’s residents.
Matt earned his bachelors degree from Western Washington University in German, Psychology, and Anthropology. He later took another year to study computer science before beginning his IT career. Matt specializes in business and systems analysis, change management, solutions design, and training.
Steve Barham
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Steve is a data scientist with over 10 years of experience in applied data analytics, strategic evaluation, policy analysis, computational methods, and visual design. He uses data science techniques and advanced data technologies on projects that often involve equity evaluation, spatial analysis, predictive modeling, data engineering, and rapid prototyping. He joins us from the Seattle Department of Transportation where he has focused on pressing transportation issues in areas such as climate action, equity and inclusion, shared mobility, micro-mobility, and performance management. Steve enjoys collaborating with the civic technology community and has designed and led projects at the University of Washington Data Science for Social Good Program. Steve has graduate degrees from the UW in Public Administration and Civil and Environmental Engineering but picked up data and design skills through online courses, self-learning, and project collaboration. Steve lives in cooperative housing with his partner and two homeschooling kids.
Elise Kalstad
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Elise works to bridge the gap between resident needs and City programs while partnering with local organizations to spur innovation. Elise has experience in community healthcare and local government-leading quality improvement, risk management and patient advisory programs. She enjoys using data to drive improvements that have direct impacts on residents and most recently led Seattle IT's performance management program. Elise earned her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Germanics and her Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington.
Jeanine Needles
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Jeanine is passionate about implementing a people-centered approach to data collection and interpretation within the public sector. She brings with her experience in applied research, data analysis and partnership building. Jeanine works to apply a mixed methods approach to data analysis in an effort to shed a light on existing and growing inequities within Seattle and provide data needed to drive impactful decisions. She has served as a demographer for Seattle Public Schools and worked within organizational performance management with Seattle ITD.
Wen Huang
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Wen has a MPA from the NYU Wagner School of Public Services, and is passionate about public service. Prior to working at the City of Seattle, Wen had worked for New York City. She was on the Health Unit in NYC’s Office of Management and Budget, and worked with the Health Department to support their work, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wen had also completed a year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Loida Erhard
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Connect with Loida on LinkedIn
Loida is an evaluator and applied researcher with over ten years of experience working on social programs across a variety of sectors, including education, public health, and microfinance. Her role at the City focuses on supporting City departments and community partners to advance their data, evaluation, and reporting goals. Prior to her work with the Innovation & Performance Team, she worked with the City of Seattle Department of Education & Early Learning on the Equitable Communities Initiative, PATH, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Loida is passionate about community engagement and helping organizations and institutions utilize data and evidence for decision-making with a race and social justice lens. She holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University and a B.S. from the University of Washington in Biology.
Janis Jordan
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Janis (Blackfeet) received her Master's in Education Policy from the University of Washington with her research focused around supporting children in poverty and reducing the wealth gap. She most recently worked at the Department of Children, Youth and Families on the Performance Improvement Team where she supported Early Learning, Tribal and Placement programs implement the statewide performance-based contracting mandate. She has a background in research and evaluation, with a particular experience with Indigenous Evaluation frameworks to empower Urban Native communities.
Janis enjoys artwork about Indigenous Futurism, and spends her free time exploring Seattle to find good food with a goal to try every food vendor at Pike Place market.
Miguel Jimenez
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Miguel received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a Certificate in Public Administration from Seattle University. He spent time as a naturalist and guide in the San Juan Islands and later spent several years delivering social services as a manager with the Rainier Valley Food Bank. Before joining the Innovation and Performance team, Miguel was a fiscal and policy analyst in the City Budget Office for the Office of Housing, Office of Economic Development, and Department of Neighborhoods. He supported the launch of the Equitable Communities Initiative and helped these City Departments implement new policies and programs related to the Jumpstart Payroll Expense Tax. Miguel has experience in process improvement and believes strongly in a vison of government that is accessible and responsive to the needs of its residents, with a focus on those who have been historically harmed by institutional racism. In his free time, he loves making art inspired by nature, and exploring the waterways of the Salish Sea.
Julia Juarez-Kostelnik
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julia.juarez-kostelnik@seattle.gov
Julia is passionate about learning how data and its story can influence change and improve the lives of those around us. She also enjoys strategizing ways to make government work better for everyone.
Prior to joining the Innovation and Performance team, she was a San Francisco Fellow with the City and County of San Francisco where she supported their Department of Public Health’s Office of Anti-Racism and Equity and the city’s Fire Department’s community paramedicine team. She holds a degree in economics and ethnic studies from Mills College.
In her free time, she loves being in community, reading, cooking for her loved ones, and trying new restaurants.
Sawyer Junger
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Connect with Sawyer on LinkedIn
Sawyer is passionate about using data to address public challenges and uplift diverse community voices to create a more just and equitable city. Prior to joining the City of Seattle, Sawyer held positions as an Economist and Policy Analyst with Environment and Climate Change Canada where his work centered on researching green approaches to COVID-19 pandemic stimulus spending, upskilling public servants in climate literacy, and analyzing the environmental and socio-economic impacts of proposed government policies.
Sawyer earned his BA in Political Science and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia and his MPP from the University of Toronto.