Data Leadership Cohort

In 2022, Fenris, along with Aspiration and Digital Public, launched a new program on data leadership and governance. As part of our thought leadership in sustainable digital public goods, The Data Leadership Cohort was designed to create opportunities for leaders to learn from peers about governance, stewardship and long-term responsible leadership in data-centric missions and ventures.

Rather than focusing on theory, the cohort workshopped real governance issues the participants were facing. Our approach centered peer learning rather than advice from experts, and created a safe and highly engaged environment to center our participants’ own voices. This approach n approach that reflects Fenris’s aspirations to support community leaders and justice-focused organizations.

The Data Leadership Cohort brought together Aspiration’s field-leading and tested frameworks for peer learning, Digital Public’s expertise in public interest data governance, and practical expertise from Fenris for integrating these ideas into team, process and product.

We believe this was the first opportunity of its kind, providing an opportunity for emerging data leaders to meet, learn, and build connections with each other as they work through challenges and opportunities in governing data resources, designing data-intensive platforms, and procuring data systems.

The Inaugural Cohort

The inaugural cohort was composed of a curated group of 7 brilliant leaders, who participated in the program in the summer of 2022. Centered around a series of practice-oriented sessions over three months, the group prototyped structures and processes for effective data governance by workshopping each other’s real-world cases.

The leaders partipating in the inaugural data leadership cohort were:

• Jessica Davison – Director of Learning, Analytics and Compliance, United Way of Greater Houston
• Kelli Millwood Hill – Head of Data Insights, Khan Academy
• Liam McMahon – Civic Engagement Coordinator, ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota
• Dr. Mark Olofson – Director of Educator Data, Research, and Strategy, Texas Education Agency
• Matt Dawson – Senior Director of Efficacy & Implementation Research, Curriculum Associates
• Vanessa Raymond – Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP)
• Yotam Amit – The Movement Cooperative

The cohort was organized and facilitated by

• Aman Ahuja – Founder, Fenris Network.
• Sean McDonald – Co-founder, Digital Public.
• Allen Gunn – Executive Director, Aspiration.

You can find more information about the 2022 DLC members on the Aspiration’s program page.

Learnings and Next Steps

Find out what we learned from the program design process and the 2022 cohort, and where the program will go next, in our upcoming series of posts. In these short posts each of the organizers will share their reflections, and explore feedback and outcomes from the cohort participants.

Consider reaching out and telling us a little about yourself if you are interested in participating in future cohorts!

About the Organizers

Digital Public is a public interest data governance firm that helps communities, companies, and institutions realize rights in, against, and through digital systems. They are an extremely well-respected organization in the field of data governance.

Aspiration connects nonprofit organizations, free and open source projects, philanthropic funders and activists with strategic frameworks, technology solutions, and data skills that help them realize their missions. They are widely recognized for their expertise in facilitating peer learning.

Fenris supports teams developing responsible data systems for public benefit through collaborative co-design of product strategy, equitable data governance, and targeted technical assistance. Fenris is invested in responsible data governance and in supporting community leaders and justice-focused organizational leaders.