About us

Code for America is a nation-wide, non-partisan charitable organization dedicated to making our country a better place to live in. To quote their Mission Statement, they are "a network of people making government work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century."

We are incredibly proud to be an Official CfA Brigade. All that we do, we do together to make our national (and local!) community a better place!

• Learn More About Code for America

Like all successful civic groups, we have founders who have enough passion and zeal to carry us through thick and thin.

Ryan Harrington (left) is a data science professional focused on making his community a better place. Day-to-day, he works as a Data Scientist for CompassRed Data Labs in Wilmington, where he is part of a team that builds predictive models to help businesses and organizations meet their goals. Before this role, he worked to grow communities – both as the Education Coordinator at 1313 Innovation and as a secondary math teacher at Glasgow High School.

Outside of work, Ryan focuses on sharpening his data science skillset as he pursues his MS in Business Analytics from Drexel University. He co-founded and co-organizes Open Data Delaware, a meetup group that advocates for government transparency and the use of civic technology. He also spends time working with high school students as a mentor for the Delaware Youth Leadership Network.

David Ginzberg (right) is a civic technologist with a professional background in finance, cyber security, and technical education. On a volunteer basis he has been a contributing member of multiple Code for America brigades in Chicago, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. He received his Bachelors of Science from the University of Delaware with a major in Computer Science and minor in Cognitive Science. He is a StartingBloc Fellow, the inventor of GinzCoin®: The Best Cryptocurrency To Never Exist™, and Co-Founder/Organizer of Open Data Delaware.

During the workweek, David can be found teaching at Zip Code Wilmington where he helps change the lives of aspiring software developers from all walks of life. He also enjoys leveraging his captive audience (students) to practice his horrendously unfunny puns that will one day cause his future children severe eye strain.

In his spare time, David collects hobbies, some of which include dancing, studying martial arts, obstacle racing, and playing music. On the weekends he can be found collaborating with local civic hackers or hiking around the hills and parks of Delaware.

We are over 500 Data Ninjas dedicated to using all the Open Data we can find for the greater good of our neighborhoods and State. In definition of our Mission Statement, we are everything from developers to entrepreneurs; students to teachers. We believe in always having an open door and share a passion in giving everyone with interest a place within our community.

Of course, an important part of being a force for good is making sure we are a Safe Space for all of our Members. Please take a moment to review our Code of Conduct and do your part to help us keep our community a safe and comfortable place to be.

We have passion, we have talent, we have experience; all we need is for you to become one of us!

• Want to Be a Part?

Quite possibly our biggest event of this year was our 2nd Annual Open Data Challenge. It was a series of events from Feburary to June designed to solve community issues and cultivate civic technology skills. This year, we partnered with the Technology Forum of Delaware and the Government Information Center. Our theme this year was: "Accessing Hope Through Innovation."

The events included a series of 5 workshops curated by Open Data Delaware, the Technology Forum of Delaware’s Idea Challenge, and a hackathon inspired by the National Day of Civic Hacking (NDoCH). The two winning teams from the hackathon event have been awarded grants and are eagerly approaching the completion of their projects. Click the button below to learn all about this exciting series and see what we accomplished!

• 2017 Open Data Challenge

After a brief Summer hiatus, we'll be back every Saturday at 10am beginning September 9th to gather together at the Brandywine Hundred Library's Program Room on the first floor. We have an open door policy and welcome anyone curious to join us at any time. (We even have a friendly little sign to point out the way.)

We begin with the coffee and foods, of course, and spend a few minutes chatting. Like any successful civic tech group, we’re not just a coalition; we’re friends, and we like to chat. After a bit, one of our hosts will rally us back together and give a brief presentation highlighting any updates or news for the group. At this time, each project group will have the opportunity to call out for any specific needs they have to meet their work goals for the week.

Additionally, if you’re interested in starting your own project, this is a great time to find others who are interested in ideating and incubating new ideas. When the intros are wrapped up and everyone has a table to join, we’ll get started on our projects in a freestyle form. These projects could be anything from long-running group efforts, to working through a tutorial with a partner, or just sharing a space to work on individual ventures.

• RSVP now for next week!