The Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., was founded in January 2015. CODE’s mission is to harness the power of open and shared data, by working with government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and researchers who are both data providers and data users. This includes promoting the application of fully open data - free, publicly available data that anyone can access and use, without limitation- as well as strategies for sharing and exchanging data that requires privacy or security restrictions.
Since its inception, CODE has held dozens of Roundtables with the White House, Federal agencies, and international partners, produced more than 50 publications, and created several websites and online tools. In addition to CODE's current areas of focus - equity, climate, health, and democratizing data - CODE has conducted projects on data for financial transparency, transportation, labor and veterans' issues, and many other topics. CODE partners with government agencies both in the U.S. and internationally, as well as private sector companies, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations to achieve our mission.
President
Director of PRograms
director of research and strategy
Joel Gurin is the President and Founder of CODE and an internationally recognized expert on open data. His book Open Data Now (McGraw-Hill), written for a general audience, is considered a benchmark publication that helped define this emerging field. Before launching CODE in January 2015 he conceptualized and led the development team for the GovLab’s Open Data 500 project, the first thorough study of the use of open government data by the private sector. Joel’s background includes government, journalism, nonprofit leadership, and consumer issues. He served as Chair of the White House Task Force on Smart Disclosure, which studied how open government data can improve consumer markets, and as Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. For more than a decade he was Editorial Director and then Executive Vice President of Consumer Reports, where he directed the launch and development of ConsumerReports.org, which was then the world’s largest paid-subscription information-based website. He is a graduate of Harvard University with an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. In 2023 he was honored to be selected to the FCW Federal 100, and to be elected as a Fellow of the National Academy for Public Administration. He can be reached at joel@odenterprise.org.
Paul Kuhne is a Project Manager at the Center for Open Data Enterprise. In this role, Paul leads CODE's Roundtable program, which brings together government agencies, industry experts, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. Paul has nearly seven years of professional experience in community engagement, programs development, and partnership building. While working in Boston, he managed Somerville's largest emergency food pantry. Paul also worked for Hostelling International USA where he oversaw intercultural programs, travel scholarships, and education initiatives for the Northeast region.
Paul pursued his Master's degree in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He studied program monitoring and evaluation, and researched topics on open data and government transparency. As a Graduate Research Fellow for the Innovations for Peace and Development program, he researched the implementation of the Colombian peace deal. He also served as an AidData Summer Fellow in Kampala, Uganda where he taught GIS and investigated government policies towards environmental open data. He is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute. He can be reached at paul@odenterprise.org.
Matt is the Research and Communications Manager at the Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE). He has deep experience in open government data as an advocate, policy analyst, and researcher.
Prior to joining CODE, Matt worked as an independent researcher with organizations including the Data Foundation, CODE, and the Sunlight Foundation. He conducted research and wrote policy and briefing papers on topics including DATA Act implementation, grants data standardization, legal entity identification, the interaction between open data and privacy, and open research data. He got his start in open data at the Sunlight Foundation, where he worked on federal policy initiatives. He advocated for passage and effective implementation of the DATA Act, conducted research and advocacy around executive branch open data efforts, and helped to conceptualize and draft what would become the OPEN Government Data Act. Matt has a B.A. in History from American University in Washington, DC. He can be reached at matthew@odenterprise.org.
Data and Innovation Consultant
Program manager,
data for equity
Communications and Design Consultant
Muneeb is a full-time Data Project Management fellow at CODE through the Atlas Service Corps program, a nonprofit that serves as an international network of social sector leaders and organizations that promotes innovation, cooperation, and solutions to address the world’s 21st-century challenges. Muneeb will be helping CODE to rethink and realign the project management processes and strategies at CODE, along with supporting the team on research and data analysis for on-going projects. He will be also working on devising systems and protocols for knowledge management for various projects. Muneeb is an operations manager and creative data analyst with expertise in project management and data analysis with over six years of experience within the development, non-profit and IT sectors. He has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Pakistan and completed his Masters in Structural Engineering and Business Management from Imperial College London, UK. He is also certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute.
Muneeb has managed and coordinated projects for renewable energy, technology integration, sustainability, green construction practices and social development. His most recent experience has been as an Infrastructure Data Analyst and Project Portfolio Manager for an IT company based out of Virginia, USA. His responsibilities included management of all stages of projects from inception to execution and operations and maintenance.
Over the years, he has also developed skills in data analysis and data visualization using smart tools and software for a variety of projects. Muneeb has developed interactive dashboards and data reports for various public and private sector clients in the USA for example Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Moreover, Muneeb contributes to society building through engagement with welfare associations, orphanages, old homes, donation drives and so on. He strongly believes in sustainable practices and green ventures linking technology and academia for prosperous development. He can be reached at muneeb@odenterprise.org.
Temilola Afolabi is the Program Manager for CODEs Data for Equity Program. In this role, Temi leads the organization's Open Data for Equity program. Her efforts and research aim to support state and local leaders to identify equity-related data capacity needs and develop actionable next steps to apply equitable data in fair housing, criminal justice, environmental justice, healthcare, and workforce opportunity. She also authors data-driven reports and issue briefs with actionable next steps tailored for both government and non-government actors, including two for the IBM Center for the Business of Government on Using Data to Advance Racial Equity in Fair Housing and Workforce Opportunity.
Since 2019, Temi has supported CODEs wider research efforts as its Research and Communications Intern, Research Associate, and Senior Research Associate. Her work helped support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of social good projects, resulting in data-informed technical documents, policy recommendations, and actionable next steps.
In 2023, Temi served as the In-Country Project Manager for a USAID conflict prevention project with the UMD Center for International Development and Conflict Management. Based in Tamale, Ghana, she was responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of project goals and working directly with communities to reduce the threat of extremist violence in Northern Ghana.
Temi is currently pursuing her MSc in Data Analytics at the University of Maryland. She completed the National Institute of Health's Data Science Fellowship with the Agency's Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) program in 2022.
She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland College Park, where she studied International Government and Politics, with a Minor certificate in International Development and Conflict Management. She can be reached at temilola@odenterprise.org.
Vandana is a full-stack marketing and communications professional from India. A former engineer and a journalist, she is now in the management realm, leading organizational strategy and implementation for scaling outreach and communication efforts. Vandana has diverse experience working with startups, entrepreneurs, government bodies, academic institutes, and media. She has experience in managing brands, creating new and diverse content, writing, and programme management, and is adept at using digital tools and platforms such as InDesign, QuarkXpress, Canva, WordPress, Adobe Experience Management, and social media. She enjoys writing and curating stories from the higher education and health sectors and has previously covered areas such as entrepreneurship, leadership, grassroots innovation, research, technology, and community. Vandana has a passion for curating impact stories and is comfortable with various formats of print and digital content. Over her decade-long career, she has worked with Business Standard – the financial daily, IIT Gandhinagar, IIM Ahmedabad, National Innovation Foundation – India, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, healthtech startup Shivom and most recently with the Indian School of Business. Her expertise is in strategic management, outreach and communications, programme and stakeholder management, brand development, negotiation and conflict resolution, and team management.
As a Communications, Outreach, and Business Development Fellow, Vandana will work with the Research and Communications Manager to support CODE’s communications, outreach, and business development strategies. The Fellow will be responsible for: updating and implementing CODE’s communications strategy, supporting the entire CODE team to engage with current and potential partners, implement the business development strategy, and drive revenue growth.
Finance Manager
Senior Strategy and Climate Advisor
Data Scientist
Hamadoun is the Finance Manager at CODE and is responsible for overseeing all financial activities of the organization including accounting, budgeting, taxes, and reporting requirements. Originally from Bamako, Mali, Hamadoun previously worked with UNDP in Burkina Faso. He holds a CPA license from the Virginia Board of Accountancy and a Masters in Information Systems Technology Management and a Bachelors from Business Administration from The George Washington University.
Jean-Noé Landry is a social entrepreneur, Canadian climate activist, international open data movement leader. He recently completed the 2021-2022 Obama Scholars program at Columbia University in New York where he actively contributed to the School's climate research community while being locally involved in several environmental justice initiatives with WE ACT For Environmental Justice in Harlem.
He is currently leading the creation of a new climate-focused inter-university data studio at Concordia University, in Montreal, advising the establishment of a new civil society alliance co-creating a common civic agenda on the ecological transition with the Ville de Montréal, and supporting strategic initiatives at the Center for Open Data Enterprise on climate data ecosystems and environmental justice.
Between 2015 and 2021, Jean-Noé was CEO of Open North, a Montreal-based organization that advises communities and governments of all sizes on data governance and pooling, digital transformation and open technology strategies. During this time, Open North grew from a civic tech start-up to a multi-disciplinary international non-profit organization specializing in the ethical and collaborative use of data and tech.
Prior to working at Open North, from 2002-2012, Jean-Noé worked in Canadian politics as a campaign manager trainer and campaign director and spent more than a decade in the field with the National Democratic Institute and the United Nations alongside pro-democracy civic and political leaders in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Russia, Kenya, Tunisia, and Ukraine.
Jean-Noé holds a bachelor's degree from the College of Humanities at Carleton University in Canada and a master's degree in philosophy from Trinity College Dublin. He was also a Fellow in Community Leadership in Justice at the University of Ottawa's Center for Law, Technology and Society. He’s currently a Senior Fellow (Climate Data and Governance) with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), recently joined the latest wonderful cohort of coaches at the Institute for Change Leaders, and an active member of the Obama Climate Leaders international alumni network.
Brock Fanning is a web architect and data scientist who is active in the world of open-source software development. Prior to joining the Center for Open Data Enterprise, he contributed to open-source projects and developed web experiences at the University of Maryland, Manifest, and the U.S. Department of Justice.Brock holds graduate degrees in classical guitar performance, and enjoys playing with flamenco and jazz bands. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. Brock grew up in New Orleans, later adopted Baltimore, and currently lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and three daughters. He is a strong believer in the power of a good data visualization.
Managing Director, Open Data Watch
Government Strategist, ESRI
Co-Founder & Chairman, Enigma
Shaida Badiee is Managing Director of Open Data Watch, an NGO focused on monitoring and promoting open data in national statistical offices. She has been an active member of the UN Secretary General’s advisory group on data revolution, co-chairs the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Data Network, and has played a key role in the startup of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. As senior advisor, Shaida works closely with theData2X team focused on knowledge creation and advocacy for closing gender data gaps. She brings 36 years of experience in managing global development statistics at the World Bank and as the long-time Director of the Development Data Group. During her tenure, flagship global statistical products were launched such as the World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, and the Atlas of Global Development. In 2010, she led the World Bank’s Open Data Initiative, a ground-breaking program to provide full and free access to the WorldBank’s extensive statistical databases.
Pat Cummens serves as the Government Strategist at Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). She joined ESRI in 1998, where she provides senior-level management and guidance on state and national government initiatives, emerging policy issues and executive outreach. Prior to that she spent 15 years in state government, serving as the GIS Director for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 11 years after starting her career with the State of Minnesota. She has developed skills to bridge the gap between policy and technology, and works with executives including Governors’ offices, the White House, and U.S. Congress to help them understand the value geospatial data and GIS technology bring to data-driven decision making and realizing efficient, smart government. Much of her effort is focused on building awareness of location intelligence outside the traditional GIS community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Minnesota.
Marc DaCosta is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Enigma, a data technology company that marries public and private data to provide actionable, operational insight for Fortune 500 companies. Marc has deep expertise in the technical and cultural aspects of harnessing data to transform organizational operations. He holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of California and has held fellowships at the National Science Foundation, Intel Labs and the Columbia Journalism School. Marc is also a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Principal, Athena Civic Consulting
Executive Director, SPARC
Natalie Evans Harris holds nearly 20 years of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of data, including a 16-year career at the National Security Agency and 18 months with the Obama Administration. She is known for working with a broad network of academic institutions, data science organizations, application developers, and foundations to advance the responsible use of data standards, APIs, and ethical algorithms to directly benefit people. Natalie co-founded and currently serves as Head of Strategic Initiatives of BrightHive, a data trust platform delivering a suite of smart data collection, integration, and governance products to social services providers for improved access to and usability of social sector data. She founded the Community-driven Principles for Ethical Data Sharing (CPEDS) community of practice with over 1200 active members focused on strengthening ethical practices in the data science community through crowdsourcing of a Data Science Code of Ethics. She serves as a Strategic Advisor to the project, now known as the Global Data Ethics Project (GDEP), to advance the adoption of tools, techniques, and practices developed by the community. As a Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration, she founded The Data Cabinet, a federal data science community of practice with over 200 active members across more than 40 federal agencies.
Elizabeth Grossman engages with nonprofits, foundations, companies, universities, and governments on strategy, design, and execution of cross-sector collaborations to advance civic impact, connecting programs, policy, and data and technology to strengthen cities and communities. Activities have focused on areas such as criminal legal system reform, equity and social justice, access to opportunity, responsible technology, and sustainability. Prior to founding Athena, she helped establish the Civic Technology team at Microsoft and worked on technology, research, and science policy for universities, associations, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the National Academy of Sciences. Elizabeth received a B.A. from Swarthmore College and a Masters and Ph.D. in Computational Physics from the University of Chicago.
Heather Joseph serves as Executive Director for the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC). In that role she has focused SPARC’s efforts on supporting new models for the open sharing of digital articles, data and educational resources. A firm believer in collective action, she has bolstered SPARC’s mission through the development and leadership of effective coalitions. She convenes the Alliance for Taxpayer Access and the Open Access Working Group, broad coalitions of university, library, advocacy, and consumer groups that serve as leading voices on U.S. open access policies, including the landmark National Institutes for Health (NIH) public access policy and a recent White House Directive. She is also the founder of BioOne, a collaborative publishing organization designed to keep non-profit publishers operating independently. Heather is an active participant on committees and projects at several U.S. federal agencies. In 2015, she was appointed to the newly formed Commerce Data Advisory Council and tasked with providing input to the Secretary of Commerce on issues surrounding open data. She serves on the Board of Directors of key nonprofit organizations supporting the open sharing of knowledge, including DuraSpace and ImpactStory.
Associate VP for Research, University at Albany, SUNY
Senior Policy Counsel, ACT | The App Association
Theresa A. Pardo, Ph.D. serves as Associate Vice President for Research and Special Assistant to the
President at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). She also serves as a Senior
Fellow at the Center for Technology in Government (CTG UAlbany), a Full Research Professor in Public
Administration and Policy, Rockefeller College, and an Affiliate Faculty at the College of Emergency
Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity. As Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Pardo
is responsible for the University’s research institutes, centers and laboratories and research data
governance, among other strategic priorities of the University. As Special Assistant to the President, Dr.
Pardo is leading the creation and operation of a novel multi-sector, multi-institutional, and
interdisciplinary research and collaboration network focused on the differential impacts of COVID-19 on
minority communities in New York and the formation of a new university-wide Institute for the
Achievement of Social and Health Equity. Dr. Pardo is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public
Administration where she is Vice-Chair of the Technology Leadership Panel and is a past president of the
Digital Government Society. In 2018 and 2019, Dr. Pardo was named a Top 100 Influencer in Digital
Government globally. She holds a doctorate in Information Science from the University at Albany, SUNY.
Denice Ross is a Fellow in Residence at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center, where she supports the Schmidt Futures data collaboratives portfolio around issues such as disasters, opioids/addiction, Census 2020, climate change, policing, and workforce. She was recently a Public Interest Tech fellow at New America, where she studied the power of networks to advance progress on big challenges. As a Presidential Innovation Fellow in the Obama administration, she co-founded the White House Police Data Initiative to increase transparency and accountability in the wake of Ferguson, and worked with the Department of Energy on crowdsourcing private-sector data to improve community resilience in disaster-impacted areas. Before moving to the DC area, she served as Director of Enterprise Information for the City of New Orleans, where she established their open data initiative, now recognized as one of the most successful in the country. Prior to government, Denice co-directed the Data Center, a non-profit data intermediary that organized Census and other data into neighborhoods to be used by nonprofits and community organizations. Denice holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arizona, where she was a Goldwater Scholar.
Brian Scarpelli is Senior Policy Counsel at ACT | The App Association, a not-for-profit trade association representing small business software development and high tech companies. Previous to joining ACT, Brian worked for over five years at the Telecommunications Industry Association, a trade association representing telecommunications equipment manufacturers and vendors that is also a standards development organization. He has also worked at the Federal Communications Commission, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission, and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions.
At CODE, we believe in the power of collaboration and partner engagement to address real-world problems. Over the last decade, we have worked with the White House and a dozen Federal agencies across three administrations. We have also been fortunate to partner with philanthropic foundations, think tanks, intergovernmental organizations, and corporate and industry partners to advance the public use of data for good.
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CODE has a national and global presence in online and other media as a consistent advocate for the power of data in the public interest. Here are some of the media outlets where CODE has appeared.
CODE draws on a network of advisors and board members for insight, and guidance. Our advisors bring expertise from many perspectives, including the public, private, and non-profit sectors.