The State of Open Data Roundtables - Series 4

Jorge Flórez

Associate Director, Fiscal Governance, Global Integrity

Jorge leads work at Global Integrity about the use of data for accountability and anti-corruption. He is most interested in finding ways to support partners in their efforts to solve local problems through the use of data, evidence, and innovation. Prior to joining Global Integrity, Jorge worked with the Results for Development Institute and the National Democratic Institute, he also advised the Colombian government on citizen participation, and conducted research on governance, social movements, and environmental management.

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Aura Martínez Oriol

Coordinator for Knowledge, Technical Assistance and Collaboration, Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency

Aura has vast experience in government openness aimed at improving public management, specifically through innovation, transparency and public participation. From the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico, she promoted the improvement of the Open Budget Index, implemented the contracting and open fiscal standards, as well as the platforms for extractive industries, infrastructure, and delivery of state aid and subsidies, among others. She has supported Ministries of Finance at different levels of government and collaborated with international institutions such as the UN, Transparency International , and the OAS, as well as worked with different civil society organizations. She is a political scientist and internationalist who holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University. She has received academic distinctions for the use of quantitative and qualitative methods in the social and economic sciences, and she is the recipient of the Integrity Icon México distinction, for a career with integrity in the public service.

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Camila Salazar

Head of Data Analytics and Learning, Open Contracting Partnership

Camila Salazar is our Head of Data Analytics and Learning, working with partners globally to take a data-driven approach to improve public procurement outcomes. She leads OCP’s data use support to partners, developing methodologies on how to use open contracting data and advising on how to improve data quality to achieve specific goals, reforms, research, monitoring, and advocacy. In addition, Camila performs internal data analysis to better track and measure the progress and impact of key OCP interventions and demonstrate the usefulness of procurement datasets to local users and local objectives. She also supports OCP’s capacity-building activities. Before joining OCP, Camila worked as an open data analyst and consultant in Latin America, working on research projects and training public servants, journalists, university students and civil society in open government, open data, data analysis and data journalism. Camila holds an MSc in Applied Social Data Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science as a UK Foreign Office Chevening Scholar and holds a BA degree in Economics, a BA and a Licentiate degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Costa Rica.

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Oluseun Onigbinde

Co-founder and Director, BudgIT

Oluseun Onigbinde is the co-founder and Director of BudgIT, Nigeria’s civic organization. Oluseun Onigbinde is a recipient of the Ashoka Fellowship, Future Africa Awards, Quartz Africa 30 Innovators Award, Aspen New Voices Fellowship, Melvin Jones Fellowship and Stanford Draper Hill Summer Fellowship. As a Knight Innovation Fellow, he also worked with the International Center for Journalists/Gates Foundation on rethinking health journalism in Nigeria. Oluseun has worked on several projects funded by MacArthur Foundation, Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, OXFAM and Omidyar Network. Oluseun Onigbinde, a pioneer Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University, is a visitor to the United Kingdom for the British Government’s International Leaders Programme (ILP). He is a graduate of Engineering at University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He had Executive Education at Stanford University Graduate School of Business on Social Entrepreneurship.

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Dr. Stefaan G. Verhulst

Co-founder, Governance Laboratory

Dr. Stefaan G. Verhulst is an expert in using data and technology for social impact. He is the Co-Founder of several research organizations including the Governance Laboratory (GovLab) at New York University and The DataTank base in Brussels. He focuses on using advances in science and technology, including data and artificial intelligence, to improve decision-making and problem-solving. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the open-access journal Data & Policy and has served as a member of several expert groups on data and technology, including the High-Level Expert Group to the European Commission on Business-to-Government Data Sharing and the Expert Group to Eurostat on using Private Sector data for Official Statistics. Dr. Verhulst has been recognized as one of the 10 Most Influential Academics in Digital Government globally. He has published extensively on these topics, including several books, and has been invited to speak at international conferences, including TED and the UN World Data Forum. He is asked regularly to provide counsel on data stewardship to a variety of public and private organizations.

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Andrew Collinge

Advisor, Digital Dubai

Andrew Collinge is passionate about how data and digital urban technologies are used responsibly and for impact in public services and tackling our most urgent challenges. He has 13 years’ director-level experience in world city governments – Dubai and London. In London's City Hall, he served two Mayors, transforming the city's data and analytics function through initiatives like the London Office of Data Analytics and the London Office of Technology and Innovation (a collaborative vehicle designed to maximise the impact of digital and data innovation for the capital's public services and communities). In Dubai he has led efforts to promote responsible AI, producing guidelines that have been adopted by the Federal government. He has recently become an IEEE certified ethical AI assessor. Andrew is a steering board member and key contributor to the G20 Global Smart City Alliance. In this role he has led efforts to produce model policies (including an open data policy) for use by cities across the world. Under this banner he has established a Global City Data Movement to bring together world-leading knowledge partners in industry, cities and academia to prove the case for data as a driver of public value (e.g. in the carbon transition) and to promote impactful data practice in city governments.

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Majaha Dlamini

Urban Data Manager, South African Cities Network

Majaha Dlamini is an Urban Data Manager at the South African Cities Network. Prior to that, he had working experience in the field of Geographic Information Systems as well as doing research on civic tech and open data. He holds an MPhil in Urban Studies, specialising in Southern Urbanism from the University of Cape Town.

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Ben Lister

Open Data Project Manager, Rennes City and Metropolis

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Jennifer Bodnarchuk

Senior Data Scientist at the City of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada

Jennifer Bodnarchuk is the Senior Data Scientist at the City of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. She is a key member of the team that has built the City of Winnipeg's Diversity Dashboard to inform equity, diversity, and inclusion decisions. She is an instructor in Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning at the University of Winnipeg's Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (PACE) Program. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Manitoba and an MSc in Data Science from Northwestern University.

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Mark Irura

Artificial Intelligence Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

Mark Irura is currently an Artificial Intelligence Advisor with GIZ. Previously, he has been an analyst with extensive experience heading end-to-end digital implementations for bilateral and multilateral development agencies, government ministries, and the private sector. Among others, he has worked with Development Gateway, as well as served as a systems designer with a Tax Authority. Due to this technical background, Mark is an advocate of using emerging technologies whilst ensuring that capacities and understanding are created for sustainability as well as meeting functional or unit business goals. He holds an undergraduate Degree from the University of Cape Town, an MSc from Strathmore University and is pursuing Doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland.

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Linet Kwamboka

Senior Program Manager, Data4Now, GPSDD

Linet Kwamboka is a leading practitioner in data policy and sustainable development. As the Senior Program Manager for Data4Now at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, she empowers African countries with data and technical skills to tackle challenges and achieve the SDGs. Linet is also the Founder of DataScience LTD™, specializing in data engineering and enabling data-driven decision-making and she led Kenya’s Open Data Initiative for several years as well as advising multiple countries in Africa on their Open Data Strategies. With a background in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analysis, and GIS, Linet approaches complex issues with a multidisciplinary perspective. Her exceptional contributions have earned her international recognition, including being named one of the World's 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government and top 30 women in data. As a finalist in the Bloomberg award for global open data champions, Linet is dedicated to transparency and data-driven decision-making. With her expertise and commitment to utilizing data for sustainable development, Linet continues to shape the future of data science. She is a former Mozilla Foundation Fellow (cohort 1) and she serves as a board member at WeRobotics (Vice Chair) and B-Lab Africa.

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Brian Gichana Omwenga

AI and Technology Policy Expert

Brian is the founder of Tech Innovators Network (THiNK), a thinktank that focuses on the development of a strong and inclusive ICT ecosystems in Africa. After graduating from Strathmore and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) he has worked fruitfully in the private and the public sector. As a software engineer and project manager at Nokia he successfully started his journey of creating notable inventions and filing patents. In the public sector he successfully designed a Government Wide Enterprise Architecture covering the business, data, applications and technology domains. As a result of these experiences, he champions the open innovation philosophy through collaboration, inclusiveness and quality output. He is extremely passionate about the role and power of COMMUNITY in the context of the ICT ecosystem. Together we can do great things!

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Vivianne Meta

Managing Director, LocateIT Limited

Vivianne Meta, is the Managing Director at LocateIT Limited, a Space and Geomatics company based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has vast experience in the use and application of Geographic Information Systems, Earth Observation, Surveying and GIT technologies. A Geomatics Engineering graduate, Ms. Meta is involved in managing and coordinating the execution of LocateIT’s geospatial projects including those entailing policy formulation, implementation, development, monitoring & evaluation. She is also involved in business development and as the project manager, plays an instrumental role in the implementation of flagship projects developed, conceptualised and implemented by LocateIT. In 2023, she was appointed to serve in the inaugural Geospatial Insights Advisory Board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). She also serves as the national representative (PoC) for Kenya for the African Aeronautics and Space Organisation (AASO). Vivianne is also a member of the African Leadership Conference (ALC) on Space Science (Youth Forum).

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Andre Nonguierma

Chief, GiMS Section, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Andre Nonguierma is currently the Chief of the Geospatial Information Section at the UN Economic Commission for Africa. He oversees the ECA’s work in advancing holistic geospatial information management strategies and governance and providing assistance to African countries and regional entities in the development and implementation of spatial information infrastructures. Mr Nonguierma has more than 30 years of professional experience in the field of geospatial science and technology. His professional journey is highly focused on leveraging geospatial data, information, and analytics to support strategic decision-making and evidence-based policy analysis across a range of applications from the public sector to academia and the private sector.

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Laura Mugeha

Geospatial Engineer and Technical Community Manager

Laura is a Geospatial engineer and technical community manager working at the intersection of open data, free and open-source software, and sustainable development. With a commitment to building for impact, she harnesses the power of communities to drive positive change. She is currently a Community Coordinator at Code for Africa, managing africanDRONE and sensors.AFRICA project and community activities. These initiatives pioneer the use of drones and sensors for climate change and deforestation monitoring, water & air quality, pollution detection in African cities, and open data collection and mapping. Before joining CfA, she worked at a Kenyan social enterprise to support teams scaling sanitation and regenerative agriculture in Kenya to adopt data for good. In her free time, Laura volunteers with tech communities. She has been a YouthMappers regional ambassador for the last four years, supporting student-led and faculty-mentored university clubs in East and Central Africa to use open mapping and GIS for community development. She is one of the Geospatial World Rising Stars(2021) and was one of the top 5 finalists for the Kenya Drone Business Challenge 2023.

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Sophie Mower

Senior Manager, Strategic Engagement and Growth, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

Since her career began, Sophie's work has continued to revolve around impact for social good - she has worked in international development for 8 years and community development for 12 years. Sophie is particularly interested in the intersection between people and technology, and uses her skills in human-centered design and design thinking to ensure programs are designed specifically for sustained impact to influence positive change at a community level. Presently, Sophie is the Senior Manager for Strategic Engagement & Growth at the Eastern & Southern Africa Open Mapping Hub. Her role is to build and strengthen regional partnerships, mobilise contributions to OpenStreetMap through strengthening our vibrant and dedicated network of volunteers, and develop innovative approaches to regional granting methods. Sophie joined the HOT team in April 2020 but has been contributing to the HOTs mission as a volunteer since 2017. Sophie’s background is in community development and Inclusive Innovation. Her previous experience includes establishing a Maker Space at the Bahir Dar Institute of Technology in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, and co-founding the First Steps Project, a UK-based non-for-profit that ran workshops and training programs for young people living in areas of deprivation.

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