Meet the Team: October 2018
Meet the newest members of the U.S. Digital Service family.
Jennifer Lee, She/Her, Content Designer, Digital Service at Veterans Affairs, previously at Autodesk, from Oakland, CA
At Autodesk, I worked on Global English (guidelines and training); adapting the brand voice and verbal style for international markets; UI content; SEO landing pages; and A/B testing microcopy such as headlines and CTAs. At Digital Service at Veterans Affairs, I’ll be working on establishing governance for a new CMS and creating a new, consolidated, and UX-centered VA.gov content style guide.
Who are your favorite writers?
Dickens, (George) Eliot, Austen, Flaubert, Julian Barnes.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being right.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Forgetting to be thankful.
Gina Maini, She/Her, Engineering, Digital Service at Department of Homeland Security, previously at Jet.com, from Las Vegas, NV
I’m so excited to be working at United States Digital Service!! Currently, I’m assisting with an Asylum adjudication tool within USCIS (DS at DHS). I’m probably not the typical engineer you’d expect to drop everything and work for the government. Before starting at USDS, I worked as a platform engineer at Jet.com, building distributed tracing frameworks, streaming infrastructure, and core libraries in F# (a functional programming language by Microsoft for .NET). I’ve also worked on Unikernels (a type of library operating system, called MirageOS in a programming language called OCaml) and in another lifetime I’ve worked at startups in New York City for security and W2 enterprise labor.
In my term at USDS, I’m hoping to learn how to grapple with failure and bureaucracy while still making a difference one step at a time. I plan to go about this by empowering federal engineering teams and asking the right questions with an honest, open heart.
What is your greatest fear?
Horses, funny enough. When I was a child at summer camp, I was put on a horse who was startled by a man whom took off a bright jacket; the poor creature bucked me off and I can only remember clinging to its neck for dear life. Later when I was a young woman, while drawing nature scenes in the country side of Normandy, France, I was chased off a field by a very angry stallion. So, I’ve had a lot of random bad luck for someone who’s a non-equestrian. Later in life, it became critical for me to master my fear of horses — as I can’t abide any sort of pathological weakness in myself — and this year I went on a trip to West Virginia and rode horses up a slick, mountain trail in the rain. It was frightening, but my horse never panicked and kept me safe uphill. She reminded me that fear is secondary to the duty you’re born to do. Courage is the door to progress.
Which living person do you most admire?
Toss up between Lizzo (the flautist and R&B musician), Carrie Brownstein (rock guitarist from Sleater-Kinney and comedian), Naomi Wu (the robotics icon who continues to defy stereotypes about who does STEM), and Saga Vanecek the 8 year old Swedish girl who pulled a 1500 year old sword from a lake.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’m obnoxiously loud, naturally. I have to consciously quiet myself in order to not blow-out eardrums. It’s just the way my larynx and sinus cavities resonate, I suppose. It’s just the worst. I guess if you need a lady to be heard over a wagnerian orchestra, I’m your girl.
Misu Tasnim, She/Her, Strategy and Operations, U.S. Digital Service HQ, previously at Nuna, from Gaithersburg, MD
Prior to USDS I was double-timing as a product/project manager at a startup in SF. I’ve been working as a government contractor with various agencies for over a decade and am thrilled to be a joining the Strategy and Operations team at USDS to continue to improve how our government operates.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Warm sunny day sitting on a park bench and people watching.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I will never let you down if you want someone to share dessert with.
What is your motto?
“Experience is never wasted.” I’m extremely risk-averse so am pushing myself to try things at least once, even if I’m afraid to at first.
Kristin Vincent, She/Her, Product, Digital Service at Department of Homeland Security, previously Marvel Entertainment, from Brooklyn, NY
Previously I led Marvel’s digital strategy team. Before building products around digital comics and super heroes, I was helping people buy books and read on devices by helping both Scholastic and Barnes & Noble transition to ebooks. I also spent time in the Bay Area and Raleigh working for IBM.
What are your favorite names?
There was a woodworker in the South named Ajax Woolly. I always thought he’d make an excellent character in a novel.
What is your motto?
L’Allegro, Il Penseroso. These are titles of sister poems by John Milton on how to achieve bliss. The first tells us to dance to the hum of noisy cities, love hard, drink with friends, laugh too much, celebrate art and don’t take it all so seriously. The other says to be still, stay sober and sit alone in nature, forever reading, learning and trying to grasp the wonder and mysteries of life. I commit to both.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Maya Angelou, who forever reminds me that people will not remember what I say or do but how I make them feel; that hate has caused a lot of problems but has never solved one; that I’ll usually make the right decision if I a decide with an open heart; and that I still have much to learn. And Nicholas Kristof, whose fearless reporting emboldens me to not look away from harsh realities while keeping me enthusiastically hopeful about what we can accomplish together.
Amy Gleason, She/Her, Product, U.S. Digital Service at Health and Human Services, previously at CareSync, from Wesley Chapel, FL
Prior to USDS, I was a cofounder and the Chief Strategy Officer at CareSync, a technology-enabled care coordination company that focused on helping patients with chronic disease. Before that, my work has almost exclusively been in Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management applications, mainly in product management and product development leadership. As a newbie to government, I am excited to use my skills to make user experience better for everyone, especially the patients!
Which living person do you most admire?
My daughter, Morgan, inspires me every single day. She was diagnosed with a rare, autoimmune disease called Juvenile Dermatomyositis at the age of 11. Even though it has turned her world upside down over and over again and created daily struggles and challenges, she chooses to turn the challenges into driving change in the world. She made a YouTube video about her healthcare frustrations when she was 15, and she now writes and speaks about the patient experience and shares ideas to make it better. She handles the challenges she has been given over and over again with bravery, strength, and grace. I admire her for many reasons, but I especially admire her ability to handle challenges while advocating for change and keeping her sense of humor through it all.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Spending time with my family, especially in Hilton Head or Las Vegas (or other fun locations!). My parents did a fantastic job of teaching us that spending time with family is an incredible gift.
Where would you most like to live?
I have grown up in the south my whole life, and I love the culture in the south. My perfect place to live would be on the beach in Hilton Head or near Tampa/St. Pete. Having said that, I have never lived in a city, and I am very excited about living in DC and experiencing all that the city has to offer.
Nick Robison, He/Him, Engineer, U.S. Digital Service at Health and Human Service, previously University of Washington, from Fort Wayne, Indiana
I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana; but most recently I’m from Seattle, WA. Previously I was a doctoral student in the Biomedical and Health Informatics program at the University of Washington, where I designed new methods for integrating complex spatial datasets. I’m an engineer on the Health and Human Services team, working on improving provider access to available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
What is your motto?
Deal gently with others.
What is your most marked characteristic?
The volume and intensity of my voice.
What is your greatest love?
That honor is shared by my wife and 9 month old daughter, both of whom have stolen my heart.
The best of technology.
The best of government.
And we want you.
We’re looking for the most tenacious designers, software engineers, product managers, and more, who are committed to untangling, rewiring and redesigning critical government services. You’ll join a team of the most talented technologists from across the private sector and government.
If you have questions regarding employment with the U.S. Digital Service, please contact us at usds@omb.eop.gov and visit usds.gov/join.
