Ryan Powers

About

Hi! I'm Ryan. (Former) finance guy-turned-civic technologist passionate about making government work better for *everyone.* Currently a Product Manager with the US Digital Corps, within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Chief Technology Officer. Prior to my current role, I attended Georgetown University for my master’s degree where I studied innovation and public policy. Largely by chance, I discovered the field of civic tech during my first semester at Georgetown and had somewhat of a lightbulb moment—the field joins technology, public policy, and public service, all with the goal of creating a more just, equitable, and accessible government for all people.

At Georgetown, I worked at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation as an analyst on the Digital Service Network (DSN), an open, collaborative, and nimble network of government leaders who use technology, data, and design to improve and innovate public services. On DSN, I drove the creation of a playbook for state governments on standing up digital service teams; wrote a profile of the City of Boston’s HR transformation led by Chief People Officer Alex Lawrence, showing how a decade of lessons from civic tech are applicable all over government; and led user research as part of the effort to launch the DSN website. I also served a six month term on the executive board of the Georgetown Technology Policy Initiative, a student-led organization promoting cross-campus collaboration in the field of tech policy.

Prior to my pivot towards public service, I spent three years in investment management where I was responsible for the client experience across a $500mm client base, consisting of individuals, families, and institutions. Call it career #1.

I do my best work when fired up with a clear “why.” I bring curiosity and a beginner’s mindset to everything I do, and love learning from the life experiences of others. I am an avid climber, trail runner, pianist, wannabe astrophysicist and side project enthusiast. Currently living in Arlington, VA with my wife Mallory. Please reach out if you want to connect!

Writing

Here you can find a sample of my writing from the past year. Head over to my Substack newsletter - The Search Bar - for more!

People-Centered HR in the City of Boston

MAY 2023 - On the heels of a global pandemic, a rapidly changing labor market presents novel challenges for government Human Resource (HR) departments spanning recruitment, hybrid work, health and safety policies, and more. In the City of Boston, these changes are accompanied by a new mayoral administration — and fulfilling Mayor Michelle Wu’s vision for Boston relies on the success and wellbeing of the City’s 19,000 employees. Recognizing this, Mayor Wu created the People Operations Cabinet, led by a chief people officer (CPO), that is reshaping how the City serves its workforce using a people-first lens.

This large-scale project draws on common practices employed in strong government digital transformation initiatives. The Beeck Center’s Digital Services Network (DSN) spoke with Boston’s new CPO, Alex Lawrence, to understand how the City is transforming its approach to people management.

I Built an iOS App with ChatGPT

APRIL 2023 - ChatGPT pretty much always occupies a browser tab at this point. I’ve enjoyed finding where it excels and where it falls short. So a couple weeks ago, I decided to see how far ChatGPT could take me in the world of iOS development. I am not an engineer by any standard, and came to this side project with nothing more than a foundational knowledge of Swift syntax (the language of iOS apps) and the functionality of Xcode (Apple’s developer environment). The result? A Pomodoro-style timer app, complete with a creative startup-y logo.

DeFi Deep Dive | Unpacking Stablecoins with Jordan Miller, Regulatory Policy Specialist at Circle

MARCH 2023 - In this edition of The Search Bar, I sat down with Jordan Miller, Regulatory Policy Specialist at Circle, to unpack stablecoins. We covered the basics of stablecoins, the regulatory landscape, and the future of stablecoins in DeFi. Jordan is a regulatory policy specialist at Circle, a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of stablecoins and public blockchains for payments, commerce and financial applications worldwide.

Sentience is a False Standard

MARCH 2023 - On one side of the generative AI debate, some claim there are signs of sentience. Whether or not that is true (and it is not currently true), these systems can emulate human qualities to an unprecedented degree. In this post, I discuss why the debate over sentience misses the point.

Photography

Clouds over a valley off Renihue Fjord, Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park.

Chaiten, Patagonia Region, Chile (2023)

Cliffs over Renihue Fjord, Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park.

Chaiten, Patagonia Region, Chile (2023)

A glacier in Pumalin National Park.

Chaiten, Patagonia Region, Chile (2023)

A surfer heading to the waves.

Ventura, CA (2021)

An Irish country house.

Kenmare, Ireland (2022)

Resume

📄 Download Resume (PDF)

Contact

• GitHub
• LinkedIn

Elements

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