About TechCongressTechCongressTCNGRS_1b0415bc-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b22TechCongress brings diverse tech talent, ideas and training to Congress and to build a practical and pragmatic understanding of Washington within the tech community. We bridge the divide of knowledge and experience between DC and Silicon Valley for better outcomes for both. Congressional Innovation FellowsThe Congressional Innovation Fellowship is an opportunity for early - mid career technology professionals to get hands on experience working in Congress and learn about the policymaking process. The program embraces diversity and believes that a wide range of views, backgrounds and experience will contribute to improved policy outcomes. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Citizenship is not a requirement to apply. TechCongress is unable to assist with visa applications or renewals but anyone legally authorized to work in the United States through the duration of the fellowship and holding a US bank account is eligible to apply.Applicants should: *Have experience working in or with technology, and the ability to convey complex technical subjects to less-technically savvy individuals. * Have some professional experience or be enrolled in or near completion of a graduate level program.* Have a strong desire help build the Congressional Innovations Fellows program. As part of the 2018 class, fellows should expect to give ongoing feedback about fellowship activities, rapidly prototype and help build the pipeline for technological expertise into Congress.Bukky Adebayo2018 -- A former product manager at Bedrock Analytics, a consumer packaged goods analytics company, Bukky specializes in building products.Bukky Adebayo is serving with Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, supporting on issues of emerging technology and inequality.Collin Anderson2018 -- A D.C.-based researcher, Collin is focused on cybersecurity and Internet freedom, with an emphasis on countries that restrict the free flow of information.Collin Anderson is serving with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, supporting on cybersecurity and international human rights.James Gimbi2018 -- A former consultant at Mandiant, a FireEye company. James performed breach investigations and guided cyber strategy for clients in government and the Global 500, spanning defense, finance, healthcare, professional services, and other industries across four continents.James Gimbi is serving with Sen. Rand Paul, supporting on cybersecurity and defense.Robbie Narang2018 -- A biotechnologist with expertise in the rapidly growing intersection of life science entrepreneurship, personalized medicine, and robotics. Previously, Dr. Narang held scientific and marketing roles with biotechnology startups.Robbie Narang is serving with the House Ways & Means Committee Subcommittee on Health minority staff (Ranking Member Richard Neal) and supporting on a range of biotechnology issues.John A. Price2018 -- A three-time Bronze Star veteran of the US Army Special Operations. John supported the Intelligence community focusing on planning and leading small teams in high stress environments. John A. Price is serving with Sen. Cory Gardner and supporting on emerging cybersecurity and federal IT procurement challenges.Jamie Sternlicht2018 -- A mechanical engineer who specializes in robotics. Prior to the fellowship, Jamie was a Project Manager for ULC Robotics, an international company that creates robotic solutions for the utility industry.Sunmin Kim2017 -- Sunmin is serving with Senator Brian Schatz and supporting on emerging issues in transportation, including transportation data and autonomous vehicle regulatory policy. Prior to the fellowship, she was a technology editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in the Americas. Specializing in the impact of technology on society and business, she has reported on technology policymaking, rise of startup cities, big data in business, sharing economy and the labor market and self-driving cars, to name a few.Outside the EIU, she is the executive director of Pro Journo, a global business journalism non-profit, and a media advisor to the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community. She received her Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Bachelors in Biological Engineering at the University of Michigan and Cornell University, respectively, and patented a method to pattern quantum dots (nanoparticles that have semiconductor properties).Christopher Soghoian2017 -- Chris is serving with Senator Ron Wyden and supporting on cybersecurity and surveillance issues.One of Politico's top "thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics," Christopher Soghoian is "the most prominent of a new breed of activist technology researchers" (The Economist), "who have risen to prominence by showing how tedious technical flaws can affect ordinary people."Prior to the fellowship, Chris was the Principal Technologist with the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Prior to that, he worked as a technologist in the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. He is also a Visiting Fellow at Yale Law School's Information Society Project and a TED Senior Fellow.Soghoian completed his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 2012, which focused on the role that Internet and telephone companies play in enabling government surveillance of their customers. He has testified before the German and European parliaments and before state legislatures in Texas, Washington, and Michigan. His research has been cited by several federal and state courts, including the 7th and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, and the state supreme courts of New Jersey and Massachusetts.Maurice Turner2017 -- Maurice is serving with the Republican Staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (reporting to Chairman Senator Ron Johnson) and supporting on cybersecurity issues.Maurice Turner brings a unique mix of formal education and practical work experience in technology and local, regional, and national policy to the fellowship program. After earning a Bachelor's in Political Science from Cal State Fullerton, he went on to earn a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California focusing on Emerging Communication Technologies, Privacy, and Civic Engagement, and recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy at Georgetown University.Nearly a decade of municipal management experience is complemented by numerous private-sector technology positions, fellowships, and internships. His previous employers include the City of Newport Beach, EarthLink Municipal Networks, Center for Democracy and Technology, Coro Foundation, United Medical Center Hospital, US Department of Transportation, and Apple. Maurice has been a technology enthusiast for over 30 years and is committed to leveraging new technologies to increase government effectiveness and community engagement.Joel UsherJoel Usher was a 2017 Congressional Innovation Fellow serving with the Democratic staff of the House Oversight Committee (reporting to Ranking Member Cummings). He is a technology entrepreneur, former consultant, and U.S. Army war veteran with nearly a decade of experience at the National Security Agency. He brings substantive first-hand knowledge and expertise to a broad range of privacy and security matters. As the co-founder and CEO of a ridesharing technology company, he touched all aspects of startup operations with an emphasis on transportation and sharing economy business models, fundraising, and governing regulations, and can leverage this experience in policy discussions and research. He is a passionate LGBTQ+ and intersectional feminist ally, and eager to advance policy work in these fields as well.Usher earned a computer science degree while serving on active duty, which he followed with master-level political coursework at the George Washington Graduate School of Political Management, and an MBA from Oxford.JC Cannon2016 -- JC Cannon is the founder of Assertive Privacy, a Washington D.C.-based consulting agency. Prior to moving to DC, Cannon had a 16-year career at Microsoft where he worked on identity management and database compliance strategy. He spent 12 of those years working on online, digital privacy issues. While at Microsoft he wrote two IT-related privacy books. Before joining Microsoft, JC worked as a software consultant for companies in the United States, England, France, and Sweden. He has BS in Mathematics from the University of Texas. He is also a six-year veteran of the U.S. Navy where he fixed avionics for A6 aircraft on the flight deck of aircraft carriers. Cannon spends his free time writing science fiction books.JC is serving with the Democratic office of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee (reporting to Ranking Member Levin and Ranking Member McDermott). He is assisting on electronic health record privacy and interoperability and reviewing privacy standards for wellness program incentives that were expanded in the Affordable Care Act.John Costello2016 -- John Costello was an Analyst at Defense Group Inc's, Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, where he researched Chinese defense and security issues. As a member of the U.S. Navy and intelligence community, John established himself as a leading thinker in cyber warfare, emerging technologies, and information dominance. His current research focuses on understanding the future of warfare, the role technology, and finding creative, iconoclast solutions to best prepare the United States for future conflict. He has a BA from University of Maryland University College. John graduated with honors from the Defense Language Institute and is fluent in Chinese Mandarin. John is also establishing the China Cyber and Intelligence Studies Institute (CCISI), a non-profit dedicated to understanding China's use of cyber and intelligence as instruments of national power.John is serving with the Republican staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform IT Subcommittee (reporting to Chairman Chaffetz and Chairman Hurd). He is assisting the committee on all things cyber-security, and will be pitching in on encryption, the Office of Personnel Management breach and IT security standards across federal agencies.Better outcomes for both Congress and Silicon Valley_1b0417ce-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b22To bridge the divide of knowledge and experience between DC and Silicon Valley_1b0418dc-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b22InnovationDiversityCOMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY -- TechCongress is committed to building an ecosystem of diverse, cross-­sector technology policy leaders. We recognize that diversity is a problem in the technology community and are working to be part of the solution. Diversity is also a problem on Capitol Hill, where hiring is often based on pre-­existing relationships and many entry ­level jobs do not pay a living wage, making it difficult for individuals that don’t come from money to begin a career and subsequently advance in Congress. We embrace diversity across multiple dimensions and encourage applicants from underrepresented communities in technology and in Congress, including those from minority gender, race, sexual orientation and socio­economic groups. We pay a living wage and create a pathway into Congress that does not exist for underrepresented groups. ImpartialityCONFLICTS OF INTEREST -- Prior to final interviews, TechCongress will request information from applicants related to ongoing personal or professional activities that might interfere with a fellow's impartiality serving in a Member or Committee office. This information will be used to identify any activity that might:Significantly impair the fellow's objectivity, orCreate an unfair competitive advantage for any person or organizationFellows will be required to identify:* Past, existing and future paid and unpaid activities.* Board affiliations* Consultancies or other interests and sources of financial supportObjectivityCompetitionIntegrityIn order to preserve the integrity of the TechCongress fellowship, and ensure that the fellow is not compromised by the appearance of a conflict of interest, the fellow will be required to sign a statement affirming that there is no conflict of interest or competing interest that would preclude a fellow from participating in a Congressional fellowship.The term "Conflict of Interest" applies not only to the applicant, but to the interests of others in which the applicant has significant financial interest, including the applicant's partner or dependants.Rule of LawIn addition to this statement, fellows must comply with laws, rules, and standards of conduct applicable to House and Senate employees and may be required to sign statements affirming compliance with these requirements.Standards of ConductThese include "the Code of Official Conduct (House Rule 23), the gift rule (House Rule 25, clause 5), the ban on solicitations (5 U.S.C. § 7353), and the limitations on accepting a payment for a speech, article, or appearance (House Rule 25, clause 1(a)(2))."DisclosureAs a condition of the fellowship, the fellow may be required by the federal government to submit a financial disclosure statement and sign a declaration of adherence to policies and laws governing codes of ethical conduct. For more information about specific ethics determinations, please visit http://ethics.senate.gov/downloads/pdffiles/manual.pdf and http://ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.house.gov/files/documents/2008_House_Ethics_Manual.pdf (see page 284).FellowshipsProvide opportunities to change Congress by injecting technological expertise into the Legislative Branch_1b0419b8-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b22CongressLegislative BranchThe Congressional Innovation Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to change Congress by injecting desperately needed technological expertise into the Legislative Branch.The fellowship is a thirteen-month residency on Capitol Hill, running from January to December. Fellows work directly for a Member of Congress or Congressional Committee for the duration of their residency and may spend their time on technology-related issues like NSA surveillance reform, encryption, cybersecurity or network neutrality. Typical duties may include: BriefingsBrief Members and staff about technology issues_1b041ab2-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b221ResearchResearch legislation_1b041b98-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b222Hearings & MarkupsPrepare for hearings or markups_1b041c7e-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b223MeetingsMeet with stakeholder groups_1b041d8c-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b224CoalitionsBuild coalitions_1b041e86-6dd5-11e8-a489-105c5b751b2252018-06-11https://www.techcongress.io/the-fellowship/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net