FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2015
CONTACT
Aaron Bartnick, aaron@opengovfoundation.org, 845-216-6809
Press Release
Los Angeles Chief Data Officer Abhi Nemani Joins Free Law Founders
Nemani joins nationwide coalition of elected officials, civic innovators and academic leaders working to create the open source, digital-first lawmaking tools & legal data our democracy needs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2015) — Today, the Free Law Founders coalition announced that Abhi Nemani, Chief Data Officer for the City of Los Angeles, CA and former Code for America Co-Executive Director, has joined its coast-to-coast efforts to transform lawmaking and legal data for the Internet Age.
As the first Chief Data Officer for the City of Los Angeles, Mr. Nemani is pioneering data-driven, digital-first municipal government. Since he became CDO in September 2014, the city has built its first citywide dashboard and topped the U.S. City Open Data Census. Nemani’s team is currently working to transform the city’s laws and legal codes from hard-to-use paper-based formats to the ridiculously user-friendly open data that citizens, businesses and government itself needs.
“I am excited and privileged to join the Free Law Founders,” said Mr. Nemani. “As someone driven by the promise and purpose our public institutions hold, I look forward to working with colleagues and advocates across the country to make local government more efficient and open.”
New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, a leader of the Free Law Founders, praised Mr. Nemani as “one of the brightest talents emerging in the open government movement. His addition demonstrates the growing nationwide reach of our coalition, and we look forward to incorporating his successful initiatives in Los Angeles in other cities across the country.”
Before joining the City of Los Angeles, he helped build, launch, and run the national nonprofit Code for America, a technology organization dedicated to helping local governments harness technology to improve service delivery. Nemani led CfA’s product strategy as its teams tackled local government challenges ranging from transparency and business licensing to food stamps and public safety. He also led the organization’s efforts to scale through building multiple new programs: a first-of-its-kind civic startup accelerator, an international volunteer corps, and a collaborative network for hundreds of government innovators.
“We are thrilled to welcome Abhi Nemani to the Free Law Founders,” said Seamus Kraft, Executive Director of The OpenGov Foundation and a fellow leader of the Free Law Founders. “Abhi’s talent and enthusiasm are nearly unmatched in the field, and we are excited by the huge potential for innovation his involvement brings to our coalition.”
The Free Law Founders is a nationwide effort of people seeking to improve how we access, produce, and maintain the most important public information in America — our laws, legislation, and legal codes. With over 20 members in cities across the country, the Free Law Founders is one of the leading open legislative data advocacy groups in the United States. Click here to get in touch.
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