A couple months ago, we posted a call for interest in joining the newly forming Code for Philly Executive Team. We’re excited to announce the Projects Lead role has been filled. Additionally, a new Collaborations Lead role was spun out from Projects Lead and also filled. Not to mention we have a newly-named Executive Director. With three hackathons under our belt and starting up our second year of open source mentorship it’s no secret we’re keeping busy—and we’re only halfway through the year! We want to continue creating greater and greater impact with our work to reshape Philly into the city we know it can be. The Executive Team will help support that work by acting as invaluable resources to our volunteers. It should be noted and commended that these roles are also volunteer-based, with points-of-ownership, but no compensation other than the warm fuzzies. At least for now. Next time you see them at hack night be sure to give them a thank you, congratulations, and maybe a high five.

Corey Acri, Collaborations Lead

A self-proclaimed “recovering lawyer”, Corey has been a regular at Code for Philly since he moved away from the Law profession and began working on CyclePhilly. He recently received his MBA from Drexel and has been working at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law for the last three years. In his work on CyclePhilly, Corey facilitated the partnership between the project and its collaborator organization, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). This was a major driver of the continued success of the mobile biking app. In his new role at Code for Philly, he’ll draw on his personal experience to help move projects into the partnership phase and become a viable product for our collaboration organizations.

Ben Novack, Projects Lead

After months of informally helping with the strategic planning of Code for Philly, Ben will be formally joining our Executive Team as Projects Lead. His professional career includes nearly a decade of software development and Agile project management experience. In his new role at Code for Philly he’ll help guide projects through the phases of their lifecycle, assist volunteers and projects with finding one another, and work closely with Corey to make sure that our collaboration projects achieve their goals. He’ll also be working on new initiatives to capture the ideas that come out of hackathons, hack nights, and partner organizations, and identify opportunities to transform them into full-fledged projects.

Dawn McDougall, Executive Director

Our resident “non-coder”, Dawn has been increasingly involved in Code for Philly over the past year. Her loquacious tendencies and intense appreciation for civic tech started with running “Civic Tech 101” and has since evolved. She is a recent graduate from Drexel University earning a degree in Sustainable Urbanism with a concentration in civic participation. As Executive Director Dawn will oversee operations and strategy, develop relationships with partner organizations, and communicate the value of our brigade to multiple interests. Additionally, she’ll build and support the Executive Team and represent Code for Philly more broadly. Her focus will be on organizational development so that Code for Philly can enable its members to achieve their goals.