The Community’s IT
This blog will share an Innovation & Performance intern’s experience working towards digital equity in Pittsburgh.
Hello, I’m Curt Williams.
I am currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University pursuing my Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Management, and Data Analytics.
I was previously a Cuyahoga County Council policy analyst and Cleveland Foundation Digital Innovation Fellow with experience:
- Providing oversight of local government performance
- Advocating for data-driven policy
- Creating programs to support digital inclusion
Why spend time with Innovation & Performance (I&P) while I pursue my degree?
I have a deeply ingrained interest in building trust back into the public sector. Many people default to thinking about bureaucracy and frustration when prompted to think about government. But citizens don’t know all the things that their government works to do to make their lives easier. I hope to take my skills and interests (which are, broadly, technology and data analytics) to make government work more compassionately and efficiently for the people it serves (and the government is obligated to serve everyone!). At its core, this is I&P’s mission. It works with all City departments to make services convenient and accessible for Pittsburgh residents. When services are seamless, people trust what the government does more. I’ve been honored to contribute to public trust here.
My work at I&P
I report to I&P Director and Chief Information Officer Heidi Norman and we work together to develop the City’s digital equity strategy. Since City government should have an active hand in improving its citizen’s daily lived experiences, we take our expertise in technology and bring it to the public. In terms of digital equity, this means that we work to ensure that every household has the option to subscribe to affordable highspeed broadband and has the skills and resources to use it in a way that will most benefit them. We care about the well-being of our residents, and increasingly in the 21st century, this involves their digital well-being.
Image description: Photos of glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows with dark stained wooden framing and glass stickers showing department and city seals. A close-up of the glass pane shows stickers with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Innovation and Performance seal in golden yellow, black, white, and dark blue. The text below lists department leadership.
Over my two years of being an intern, this tangibly looked like pulling together the Pittsburgh Digital Equity Coalition, advising Director Norman on how to approach grants and programs that are flowing down from the federal and state governments, and teaming up with a statewide band of organizations to advocate for creative, equitable broadband policies.
Because of the freedom I was afforded in my role to do what I thought was necessary to advance our mission, I was able to take the lessons I learned from my previous experiences and flexibly apply them here.
Challenges related to this work
I’ve worked in local government before, so I understand the challenges that come with the work — slow progress, painstakingly ensuring all stakeholders’ opinions are considered, burnout — but all of these challenges are inherent to the wicked problems that local governments face. Local governments are well-suited to tackle deeply complex issues because we live and work alongside everyone we serve.
Being an I&P intern is self-directed. While I reported to Heidi, I had the opportunity to design my role in the way I wanted — if I thought that I needed to reach out to a partner at a local nonprofit to align them with the work, then I was able. Open-endedness can be difficult for someone who usually thrives under clear direction but, ultimately, this flexibility was beneficial for me because it allowed me to grow and experiment to find what does and does not work in each context. It also gave me the opportunity to constantly practice communication.
Bookcase and desk caption: Left: The Department of Innovation and Performance proudly showcases its awards and honors several flags near the office entrance. Right: The front desk welcomes employees and visitors into the department’s office.
Benefits to public service
Besides the growth that working through challenges afforded me, I had a number of other positive experiences with I&P. First, this internship provided me with a new perspective on my adopted city, one I hadn’t had before. Seeing the commitment that other members of the department had to improving Pittsburgh was inspiring. It gave me insight into how this city truly runs: only under the careful watch of many intentional people. It also allowed me to create professional connections within the City and with leaders across Pennsylvania. I learned a lot from each of these connections, namely that there are so many different skill sets that are needed to make progress on public policy. Finally, I was able to contribute to meaningful work. My long-term career goal is to build trust in the public sector, and to have experimented with different ways of accomplishing this while I was still in my graduate program was profound.
Internship impact
Overall, my experience with I&P was fantastic. I was able to gain experience and make connections that I would not have made in any other position. I would strongly recommend an internship to any interested student, both for the knowledge gained and to experience the welcoming culture of I&P.
My experience cemented my belief that local government is a powerful force for serving the public well-being and that technology plays an increasingly more important role in fostering that well-being. I hope my experience will encourage other students to step out and serve their community with I&P and gain a similar experience.
