We’re thrilled to announce that Laura Gerhardt has joined MO as our Inaugural Digital Services Fellow!
The MO Digital Services Fellowship is a new program designed to bring civic technologists into the fold to drive thought leadership, influence high-impact delivery strategies, and explore new opportunities. Laura (Gerhardt, LLC) joins us most recently from the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, where she managed a portfolio focused on Technology Modernization and Data. Her work there included updating cloud policy with FedRAMP, overseeing the VA’s IT, and managing the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF).
Previously, Laura has worked with 18F, GSA IT, Health and Human Services, login.gov, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
As a fellow, she’ll be researching the question about whether governments could create a more intuitive and faster benefits enrollment experience through video form completion. Currently, enrollment applications are time intensive and cumbersome to complete on a phone. On average, it takes 28 minutes to complete an application (Code for America 2022/2023). Meanwhile, adults are now increasingly comfortable with video calls and watching videos online. With AI, we have an opportunity to provide more intuitive experiences for applicants through video form completion.
