I have worked at the nexus of technology, design, and the public interest for nearly 20 years — originally in international development, but for the past decade more domestically in the delivery of public services. Since 2017, I have been studying and teaching about the role of technology in the delivery of public policy. I'm now turning my attention to the role of technology in our lives, our homes, and our families through a multimedia project: Home Screen.

I'm Emily. My work explores how digital technology is actually used by people, organizations, and governments — not the potential, the practice.

I am an expert in implementation: how technology is used in practice by governments, institutions, and individuals to accomplish an intended goal. I am increasingly focused on how we are captivated by the stated potential and promise of technology, and fail to consider the capacity of institutions and individuals to effectively implement and engage with the technology.

I believe everyone should understand the degree to which technology shapes our public institutions, our daily lives, and the role we each play in that dynamic. To that end, I run a multimedia project for parents, create oral histories, teach courses, and host conversations to help collectively make sense of it all.

Current work.

I am the Executive Director of the Home Screen, a multimedia project grappling with how tech is distorting our lives & relationships & how to deal. This includes regular essays, short-form video, long-form interviews, and unpacking relevant news — all for an audience of parents and teachers.

I am also the curator of the United States Digital Service Origins, an oral history documenting how the United States Digital Service (the team that was turned into DOGE) came to exist, and the initial days of building its foundation.

As an adjunct professor at Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy, I focus on the nexus between technology, design, and public policy. My courses aim to better equip current and future policymakers with the skills and knowledge they need to make more effective decisions about technology. I believe strongly that digital technology is the spinal cord of government — if we want to improve how government works, current and future policymakers must understand the degree to which technology underpins both our institutions and our democracy itself, and how to improve it.

I am also a founding Advisory Board member of the Public Tech Leadership Collaborative.