Steve “Spike” Spiker talks with The GovFresh Podcast about his work in civic hacking, including co-founding OpenOakland, which served as the Code for America Brigade in Oakland, Calif. He shares his thoughts on why civic hacking is important in a healthy digital democracy and how hackers and government can show up and effectively work together. Spike shares a thoughtful retrospective on his time pioneering and actively civic hacking, organizing hackers and how grassroots technologists can continue to leverage their passion and skills to impact civil society.

Steve “Spike” Spiker is a data inspired collaborator and leader with a passion for racial justice, government transparency and public policy. Spike is currently the Chief of Programs & Technology at One Degree, where he leads product, design, community engagement and marketing. He joined One Degree as Chief Data Officer to build their data practice, from data governance, business intelligence to data science. Spike was the co-founder and Executive Director of OpenOakland, a civic innovation nonprofit. He was recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change. Former nonprofit roles include Data Evangelist for Measures for Justice, and Director of Research & Technology with Urban Strategies Council in Oakland.