The Next Chapter for USDS
By: U.S. Digital Service
Tags: Team And Culture, Engineering, Civictech, Transitions, Government

The Next Chapter for USDS

When it was founded in 2014, the U.S. Digital Service was a dozen or so technologists staring down the intimidating task of modernizing government services. All had big hearts and even bigger appetites to make the federal government more accessible and understandable to the millions of people who rely on it.

Almost seven years later, we are a team of 180 with a network of over 500 alumni. Some alumni have gone on to become career federal leaders, including CIOs and CTOs at the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and beyond. Whether by empowering career civil servants to more effectively leverage design and technology or by joining their ranks, we have made government services more accessible and easier to use for students, refugees, immigrants, military families, Veterans, farmers, retirees, doctors, patients, and many more.

When I joined USDS in 2016, I came with an outsider’s perspective, technical skills, and desire to use my talents for good. I thought I would serve for just three to six months. More than four years later, at the end of this month, my service at USDS will end. When technologists join USDS, they sign up for a limited tour of duty. I am no different, and it is my time to step down. I’m so grateful to have been a part of this team. And I am enormously proud of everything our team has accomplished across two Administrations.

In my time as USDS Administrator, we’ve been busy. The team has created and deployed tools to help better fulfill the promises we’ve made to our Veterans. We’ve digitized the naturalization process and reimagined hiring across the federal government. We began supporting states in building more responsive systems for the millions of Americans who rely on them. In every project, we strive to address the immediate needs of the country while building a more resilient and responsive government for decades to come.

As a new Administration gets underway, the core mission of USDS remains the same: to do the most good for the most people who need it the most. We continue to support our partners at the Center for Disease Control and across the Department of Health and Human Services in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are expanding our work to help immigrants and refugees, students with federal loans, and those most in need of financial assistance amidst the economic crisis. We continue to help agencies across the government adopt the Digital Services Playbook, reform technical procurement, and improve the federal hiring process. This work will be led by my accomplished Deputy with support from our senior team until a new Administrator is appointed.

USDS was created to provide private sector technologists an opportunity to serve their government for a short period of time. This year, in addition to those that joined the civil service permanently, we’ve seen an impressive number of alumni return to serve their government a second time. People continue to serve because it’s clear that they can have impact. A year of service can improve the lives of millions of people, many of whom are experiencing the most difficult moments of their lives. Recent endorsements from the President and Congress continue to drive the movement forward. New funding allows us to continue to grow to meet the moment we are in. By partnering with even more agencies and teams across government, we can help more people navigate government and showcase government at its best. There has never been a better time to apply and help out.

Serving at USDS offers incredible potential for impact at scale. As this new Administration takes off, we need the help of even more folks who are passionate about how technology can make government more equitable and accessible. If you’re an engineer, designer, product manager, acquisition strategist, or policy expert who cares about making government work better for real people, please consider applying to join us, or reach out.