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The guest for this episode of Data for the People! is Natalie Evans Harris, Chief Data Officer for the State of Maryland and a Data Foundation Senior Fellow. Harris discusses how Maryland is building a statewide data infrastructure that enables agencies to work together, strengthens data governance, improves data literacy, and prepares the state for responsible artificial intelligence.

Read a blog summary of the episode.

During the interview, Harris also offers two contributions for the Data Foundation’s #MyDataStory initiative, which highlights how government data helps Americans solve problems, make decisions, and strengthen communities. What’s your data story? Share it in writing or over video.

In the spirit of the Data Foundation's People's Data 100 initiative, which identifies federal datasets providing the greatest value to Americans, Harris mentions one of her favorite public datasets: The Social Vulnerability Index, which is maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ranks communities by their vulnerability to external shocks, such as a natural disaster, disease outbreak or economic disruption. Learn more about the People's Data 100 initiative.

Want to be part of a national community that promotes policies that enable government data to be high-quality, accessible, and usable? Join our Data Coalition: https://datafoundation.org/pages/join-the-data-coalition

The Data Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. All contributions may be tax deductible. We appreciate all charitable contributions towards fulfilling our mission to make democratic society better for everyone by championing the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy. Donate: https://datafoundation.org/supportus

Follow the Data Foundation on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/datafoundation

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At the 2026 Data Summit, Leanne Spaulding, Resilience and Data Lead at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, moderated a conversation on how better data can support resilience, environmental risk management, and growth. She was joined by Emily Dhingra, Senior Project Manager for Climate Resilience and Adaptation at AECOM; Kathie Dello, Assistant Secretary for Resilience at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality; and Paula Pagniez, former Executive Director of Climate Risk and Resilience at Howden.

Their conversation has been edited and produced as an episode of Data for the People!, a podcast from the Data Foundation.

Want to watch other panel sessions or presentations from the 2026 Data Summit? Video recordings are available on the Data Summit event page.

govDATAx is the Data Foundation's flagship conference bringing together government leaders, data practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and researchers to advance the use of data for more effective, transparent, and accountable government.

This year's govDATAx will be on Sept. 15 at George Washington University.

Register now.

Want to be part of a national community that promotes policies that enable government data to be high-quality, accessible, and usable? Join our Data Coalition: https://datafoundation.org/pages/join-the-data-coalition

The Data Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. All contributions may be tax deductible. We appreciate all charitable contributions towards fulfilling our mission to make democratic society better for everyone by championing the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy. Donate: https://datafoundation.org/supportus

Follow the Data Foundation on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/datafoundation

Send us Fan Mail

This episode of Data for the People! shares highlights from the Data Foundation’s 2026 Data Summit, focusing on philanthropy’s role in supporting a stronger shared data ecosystem.

Data Foundation President and CEO Nick Hart moderates a conversation with Daniella Lowenberg of the Data Funders Collaborative and Rachel Snyderman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

Lowenberg describes the Collaborative’s priorities, including modernizing state and local data infrastructure, improving effective data use (privacy, self-sovereignty, and quality), and data readiness for AI and evaluation.

Snyderman explains the Peterson Foundation’s focus on long-term fiscal sustainability and how bipartisan attention to improper payments, fraud, waste, and abuse can be reframed as a data issue that also improves benefit access.

The panel discusses where philanthropy can test ideas and convene cross-sector partners, while noting limits in replacing federal system investments or making federal policy, and highlights opportunities to accelerate progress through responsible use of new technology and clearer communication to policymakers.

If you enjoyed this conversation from our 2026 Data Summit, then you won’t want to miss our next big event: govDATAx, on September 15th at George Washington University.

govDATAx brings together government leaders, data practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and researchers to advance the use of data for more effective, transparent, and accountable government.

Learn more and register.

Interested in learning more about Evi, the Evidence Act Hub AI assistant co-developed by the Data Foundation and Data Foundation Senior Fellow Ted Kaouk? A beta version is now available to test.

govDATAx is the Data Foundation's flagship conference bringing together government leaders, data practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and researchers to advance the use of data for more effective, transparent, and accountable government.

This year's govDATAx will be on Sept. 15 at George Washington University.

Register now.

Want to be part of a national community that promotes policies that enable government data to be high-quality, accessible, and usable? Join our Data Coalition: https://datafoundation.org/pages/join-the-data-coalition

The Data Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. All contributions may be tax deductible. We appreciate all charitable contributions towards fulfilling our mission to make democratic society better for everyone by championing the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy. Donate: https://datafoundation.org/supportus

Follow the Data Foundation on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/datafoundation