Civic News

Read this Next City profile of ex-Chief Data Officer Mark Headd

The nonprofit urban news site details the struggles Philly's first CDO faced in a report on the difficulties of attaining truly transparent government.

Mark Headd was Philadelphia's first chief data officer. (Photo by Flickr user CeBIT Australia, used under a Creative Commons license)

From his time as a Tropo developer to his appointment as the city’s first Chief Data Officer; from the momentous strides (as well as shortcomings) he made as CDO to the tribulations leading up to his departure and thereafterMark Headd has been a compelling figure within Philly’s open data movement. And we’ve been here to cover it.
Technical.ly Baltimore alum Andrew Zaleski recently filed an in-depth profile of Headd for Next City. It lays out how Headd went from civic hacker to open gov superstar, offering perspective on why he left what has become one of the best-known municipal innovation movements in recent history.
Read the full story
After 18 months within City Hall, Headd’s aggressive style left him frustrated enough to leave it behind. Despite that, his all-too-short tenure has left a lasting mark on the city’s open data legacy.

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