On Sunday January 6, 2019, IFE kicked off the new year with its Fifth Annual IFE Tech-In-Gov Innovation Brunch in Silicon Valley. This year, the brunch was graciously hosted by Todd Park, Former Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Co-Founder of the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program, and his wife, Amy Geng, IFE Innovation Steward, at their stunning Los Altos Hills residence.
The brunch attracted a record number of guests including technologists, civic leaders, current and former government officials, Presidential Innovation Fellows, members of USDS and 18F, and friends and supporters of the Institute for Education to celebrate tech innovation in government.
Todd Park welcomed guests, thanked those who have served in government for completing their “tour of duty,” and encouraged those in attendance to do all they can to support those who are serving now in government. Additionally, Joshua Di Frances, Executive Director of the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) Program, Davar Ardalan, Deputy Director of the PIF Program, and Clara Tsao, President of the PIF Foundation, spoke about the importance of sharing the PIF and civic tech story, and encouraged all to use the hashtag, #CivicTechService.
As a special treat this year, the IFE Tech-in-Gov Brunch was honored to welcome special guest, Dr. Joanna Breyer, clinical psychologist, wife of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and author of the book, When Your Child Is Sick. Dr. Breyer spoke about the her work with children with serious illness at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and her mission to get copies of the book into the hands of parents who need to it in a moment of need. Proceeds from the book are used to support care for sick children internationally. Brunch participants purchased and donated copies to world-renowned Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, and other Bay Area clinics.
Guests were treated to a delicious brunch featuring seasonal ingredients including mushroom-leek and artichoke-sundried tomato frittatas, salmon cakes, pumpkin scones, and warm apple crepes in addition to a gourmet plate laden with local cheeses, seasonal fruit, and crackers.
Now in its fifth year, this brunch has become an annual reunion for those working at the intersection of government and technology, ahead of the internationally attended annual J.P Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
Attendees included Casper Klynge, Tech Ambassador of Denmark; John Paul Farmer, Microsoft and Co-Founder of the PIF Program; Michelle Lee, Former Director of the US Patent & Trademark Office; IFE Founder and CEO Coach Kathy Kemper; Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer at Schmidt Futures; DJ Patil, First Chief Data Scientist of the United States and Devika Patil, IFE Digital Ambassador; Michael Brown, Director of Defense Innovation Unit at DoD; Scott Wu, Christopher Kirchhoff, Ryan Panchadsaram.
Institute for Education Advisor Kaivan Shroff, IFE Deputy CTO Emily Lovell, IFE Digital Innovation Fellow Chris Golden, and IFE Innovation Fellow Christina Kemper Valentine also attended.
Contributed by IFE Digital Innovation Fellow, Chris Golden
