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We’re Skylight!

Our mission is to make government work
in a digital world.

Our story

Skylight was launched in June of 2017. We’re currently made up of 68 people and one ferret. A lot of us originally worked for civic-oriented groups such as 18F, the U.S. Digital Service, and the Presidential Innovation Fellows. Now, as part of Skylight, we’re working hard to cultivate an incredible team and culture.

What brings us together is a passion for creating better outcomes for the public through great government digital services. We’re basically impact junkies. But we’re also engineers, developers, designers, product managers, consultants, writers, speakers, inventors, roboticists, gamers, authors, veterans, entrepreneurs, parents, and more. Such a diverse team always gives us a unique perspective on things.

Our official headquarters is in sunny Sarasota, Florida, but we’re a distributed and remote-friendly team currently spread across 27 different states. Sometimes the nature of our client work calls for closer proximity to their location. So far, we’ve worked with clients located in places like Washington DC, Hartford (Connecticut), Montgomery (Alabama), Baltimore (Maryland), and Ottawa (Canada).

Meet the team

Mina Cairns

Head of Corporate Development

Mina possesses nearly 20 years of consulting, technology, and leadership experience in the public sector. She specializes in corporate strategy, corporate development, and large-scale program management. Mina lives in Florida.

Sarah Tress

Product Designer

Sarah’s an engineer and social scientist who loves to work at the intersection of technology and public service. She recently graduated from Oxford with a Master’s in Development Studies as a Rhodes Scholar after studying Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Sarah lives in New York.

Gordon Farrell

Senior Software Engineer

Gordon’s a software engineer specializing in government tech. He built his career in civil service with the Department of Defense, where he focused on software modernization in the U.S. Air Force’s Kessel Run program. Gordon’s a champion for automated testing, high cadence CI/CD, and working directly with users to provide great software. Gordon lives in Colorado.

Jennifer Herzberg

Senior Product Designer

Jennifer’s a product designer who specializes in user-centered design. Previously, she led design at early- to mid-stage stage startups in the healthcare, education, and real estate industries. Jennifer studied Cognitive Science with a specialization in Human-Computer Interaction at UC San Diego. She lives in California.

David McClatchey

Senior Software Engineer

David’s a software engineer who strives to create simple and robust solutions to complex problems. He’s most recently worked at Home Depot where he helped migrate its product data to the cloud and built highly-visible APIs from that data. David lives in Georgia.

Rin Concordia

Staff DevOps Engineer

Rin’s a software engineer-turned-SRE, with a penchant for public service. She’s an active member of the United States Air Force Auxiliary — the Civil Air Patrol — where she serves as a search and rescue aircrew member and command officer. She previously served with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary as its National Division Chief of Software Engineering. Rin lives in Illinois.

Alis Akers

Senior DevOps Engineer

Alis is a DevOps engineer interested in building reliable products using the latest cloud technologies to improve the lives of users. They’ve established integrations for patient engagement and monitoring across several large health systems and led the development of infrastructure and software pipeline requirements and tooling. They live in Oregon.

Priscilla Peralta

Product Designer

Priscilla’s a product designer formerly from the entertainment industry. She’s drawn to creating positive change through thoughtful design and championing the user’s experience. Most recently, she worked at a fin-tech startup where she helped develop an out-of-app feature to help improve account accessibility for users in Nigeria. Priscilla lives in California.

Ryan Gaddis

Staff Product Designer

Ryan’s a designer and researcher who’s ready to apply his decade of industry expertise to civic tech. He strives to make thoughtful decisions and challenge assumptions. He’s also a volunteer firefighter in his community. Ryan lives in Colorado.

Kyle Planeaux

Senior Product Manager

Kyle’s a product manager with several years of experience in the government defense space. Previously, he was a civilian product manager working for the Space Force. Kyle studied chemical engineering at the University of Southern California and is working on a graduate degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. He lives in California.

Zedd Shmais

Staff Software Engineer

Zedd’s a software engineer with several years of experience across a range of industries. Most recently, he worked at Pivotal Labs / VMware Tanzu where he helped companies of all sizes with their digital transformation journeys. Zedd has a masters degree in computer science from Georgia Tech. He lives in Texas.

Mike Brown

Senior Software Engineer

Mike’s a software engineer passionate about using technology for the public good. He worked on water affordability as a 2019 Code for America Fellow and has experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Mike graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Computer Science and Political Science. He lives in New York.

Merethe Hansen

Senior Software Engineer

Merethe’s a software engineer who gets most excited about solving puzzles and working on projects that bring about a positive impact. Merethe comes from the enterprise software industry, where she built analytics pipelines and reports. She lives in California.

Jayna Wallace

Staff Product Manager

Jayna’s an outcomes-driven product manager who’s spent the last two decades on distributed teams building social media and streaming platforms. She moved into the civic tech space to work on a project for the Department of Defense. Jayna lives in Ohio.

Dan Sass

Senior Software Engineer

Dan’s a software engineer with a background in FinTech. He’s focused on system design, DevOps, and cloud native applications. Dan lives in Ohio.

Johanna Del Pino

Staff Software Engineer

Johanna’s a full-stack engineer with over nine years of experience in the industry. Her main focus is on web applications and front-end technologies. She has worked for different government entities like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Johanna lives in Pennsylvania.

Bobby Wells

Software Engineer Apprentice

Bobby’s an engineer and data nerd who has a passion for working with tech that actively makes the world a better place. In 2021, he served as a Civic Digital Fellow at the Census Bureau and graduated from Tufts University. Bobby lives in Colorado.

Kenneth Chow

Senior Software Engineer

Kenneth’s a software engineer who specializes in building cloud applications. He advocates for serverless design to help scale up systems while reducing costs. Kenneth lives in California.

Camille Villa

Software Engineer

Camille’s a full-stack software engineer who loves working with collaborative and service-oriented teams. She previously built open source software and managed developer communities for libraries, archives, and museums at Stanford University. Camille lives in California.

Dan Paseltiner

Staff Data Engineer

Dan’s a data engineer passionate about helping others through a thoughtful understanding of data. After years working on physics and neuroscience research funded by NIST and the NSF, he’s begun helping public health departments better utilize their data. Outside of work, Dan’s an avid hiker and sailor. Dan lives in Maine.

Ann Millspaugh

Staff Product Manager

Ann’s a product manager who loves to solve customer problems. As a former engineer, she likes to understand the details of technical products and translate technical concepts to all stakeholders. Ann specializes in productizing and scaling APIs and data pipelines. Ann lives in California.

Steven Speck

Data Scientist Apprentice

Steven’s a data scientist apprentice who holds equal passions for machine learning and creating useful tools for others. Coming from Northeast Ohio, he attended MIT, where he majored in Computation and Cognition. Steven lives in California.

Lina Roth

Staff Software Engineer

Lina’s a software engineer with experience in cloud computing and DevOps, along with building APIs and robust applications. For nearly seven years, she worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs developing benefit management software. She enjoys making the world a more inclusive space for everyone. Lina lives in South Carolina.

Josh Nygaard

Senior Software Engineer

Josh’s a full-stack software engineer passionate about making tools, big and small, that can have a positive effect. He has over five years of experience working as a government contractor and values having a broad range of technical experiences and knowledge. Josh lives in Pennsylvania.

Amrita Kaur Bhatti

Staff Product Manager

Amrita’s a product manager who enjoys working with people and technology to create meaningful solutions. Previously, she was a product manager at McMaster-Carr and has experience as a software engineer. She lives in California.

Brady Fausett

Staff Data Engineer

Brady’s a data engineer with a passion to improve healthcare data interoperability. Brady has almost 20 years of working in healthcare informatics, including clinical decision support applications, NHSN reporting, and consuming/creating FHIR and HL7 APIs. He previously worked with CMS as a FHIR specialist for the Blue Button API. Brady lives in Idaho.

Jill Fromewick

Senior User Researcher

Jill’s a user researcher with 20+ years of experience at the intersection of outcomes-driven research, program evaluation, and user experience. She’s passionate about conducting feasible, actionable research that will be used to improve outcomes and advance equity. Jill lives in North Carolina.

Marcelle Goggins

Senior Data Engineer

Marcelle’s a data engineer with a background in applied statistics and public policy. Marcelle has previously worked as a data engineer/scientist at civic tech non-profits and academic institutions, focusing on workforce development and education research. She lives in Washington.

Robert Mitchell

Senior Data Engineer

Robert has spent his career in the nonprofit and government tech space bootstrapping analytics in under-resourced environments to bridge the gap between data and insight. Adhering to a data-for-good ethos, he centers the mission in orienting solutions to problems. Robert lives in California.

Joe Reynolds

Operations Associate

Joe’s an operations associate with financial services, IT, mortgage, and fintech industry experience. He loves unlocking value for a business and its customers by striking a balance between profitability and operational excellence. Joe lives in California.

Angela The

Software Engineer Apprentice

Angela’s a software engineer who’s passionate about building human-centered tools that can improve access to public benefits and services. She pursued a master’s degree in computer science and public policy and previously served as a Civic Innovation Corps Fellow for the City of San José. Angela lives in California.

Emmanuel Nwakire

DevOps Engineer

Emmanuel’s a DevOps engineer with years of experience in the travel-tech, fintech, and lifestyle industries. He’s also a certified Scrum Master, where he excels at understanding and addressing the needs of stakeholders and clients alike. Emmanuel lives in Maryland.

Kathryn Mullins

VP of Growth

Kathryn’s a cross-functional leader and builder who’s passionate about helping organizations serve the public. Kathryn has served in procurement and technology policy leadership roles in the United States executive and legislative branches, and led procurement policy, strategic initiatives, and new public sector business development at Amazon. She lives in Virginia.

Ian Hancock

Software Engineer Intern

Ian’s a software engineer who loves understanding problems and developing solutions that make an impact on people. He’s also an Air Force veteran who previously worked for BESPIN as a software engineer mainly building web applications. Ian lives in Alabama.

Emily Alter

Senior User Researcher

Emily’s a user researcher with a decade of experience using research to convince product teams to make more user-friendly products. She has conducted user research for Cameo, Litmus, Facebook Messenger, Wells Fargo, and Chase. Emily lives in California.

Boban Ljuljdjurovic

Senior Software Engineer

Boban’s a software engineer who’s always excited to work on new and challenging problems. He has experience with building scalable APIs and DevOps, and is expanding his front-end expertise. Boban lives in Michigan.

Arin Kulshi

Staf Data Engineer

Arin’s a data engineer who specializes in building applications focused on health technology. He has a background in improving healthcare interoperability and addressing diverse data needs. Arin lives in California.

Chris Cairns

Chief Executive Officer

Chris served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, and co-founded 18F and Technology Transformation Services, both housed within the General Services Administration. He specializes in digital leadership and transformation, digital procurement, and product development and management. Chris lives in Florida.

Mike Judd

Chief Operating Officer, Human Services

Mike’s a technologist, community builder, and bureaucracy hacker with over 10 years of experience at the CDC. He’s passionate about improving the ways that government interacts with and provides value to the American people. Mike lives in Atlanta.

Mary Yeh

Senior User Researcher

Mary’s a researcher, strategic thinker, and user advocate who loves working collaboratively. She has experience as a research consultant, non-profit manager, and middle school science teacher. Mary lives in California.

Nicole Campbell

Chief Operating Officer

Nicole’s a product manager with a passion for building technology that solves complex user problems. Most recently she worked as a consultant at Pivotal Labs/VMware to help transform the way large enterprises and startups build software. She specializes in extreme programming, lean product management, and user-centered design. Nicole lives in Illinois.

Laura King

Staff User Researcher

Laura’s a researcher, strategist, and designer. She loves to solve complex problems by empathizing with and understanding the needs of users. Laura lives in Colorado.

Josh Dorothy

Chief Information Officer

Josh’s a former member of the U.S. Digital Service, with an interest in building both great platforms and great products. He specializes in DevOps engineering, cloud computing, and user-focused software development. Josh resides in Virginia.

Robert Read

Principal Software Engineer

Robert served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow and co-founded 18F. He’s been programming since he was 13 years old, and holds a PhD in computer science. Robert builds robots, among other things, for public good. He specializes in software engineering, data science and engineering, engineering management, and agile practices. Robert lives in Texas.

Nick Bristow

Staff Software Engineer

Nick’s a former member of 18F, who relentlessly pursues creating products that are fully accessible and meet the needs of all users. He specializes in accessibility, software engineering, frontend development, and cloud computing. Nick resides in Virginia.

Geoff Mulligan

IoT Practice Lead

Geoff served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, and has developed standards that power the internet, including IPv6 and 6LoWPAN. He specializes in Internet of Things, distributed and embedded systems engineering, networking technologies, and privacy and security. Geoff resides in Colorado.

Becca Bartola

Senior Product Designer

Becca’s a former Etsy designer, with a passion for creating positive change through great user experiences. She specializes in user research, user experience design, and visual design. Becca lives in Pennsylvania.

Sean Johnson

Principal Software Engineer

Sean’s built and exited two tech startups, one of which was bought by IBM. He’s been programming since he was six years old, and specializes in software engineering, product management, and cloud computing. Sean lives in South Carolina.

Brandon Mader

Senior Data Scientist

Brandon loves using data for public good. He specializes in data science, data engineering, and software engineering. Brandon graduated from Dartmouth College, where he earned a double major in Math and Computer Science. He lives in Ohio.

Peggy Chau

Senior User Researcher

Peggy’s a researcher and designer who transitioned from clinical neuroscience research. She’s worked on various projects, from researching robot vacuums with Samsung to redesigning a pain communication app with UPMC. Peggy lives in Massachusetts.

Zack Gehin

Staff Product Designer

Zack’s certified in UX by the Nielsen Norman Group and specializes in complex application design. His entrepreneurial spirit adds a unique approach towards empathizing for users and identifying the right problems to solve. He’s helped form design teams, and served as a design leader in the non-profit, financial investments, and healthcare industries. Zack lives in Florida.

Nick Clyde

Senior Software Engineer

Nick’s a software engineer with a passion for using technology to solve the right kinds of problems. He especially enjoys building APIs, designing and optimizing databases, and crafting system architectures. He has experience working on and improving high-traffic government digital services. Nick lives in California.

Tomi Obikunle

Senior User Researcher

Tomi’s a researcher who strives to meet and honor people where they are. Previously, she studied human development and led hands-on engineering projects with kids. She now specializes in continuous discovery, usability testing, and human-centered design. Tomi lives in Illinois.

Elisa Lee

Software Engineer

Elisa’s a software engineer with a desire to use technology to support positive change in communities. They previously worked in the developer tools, education technology, and non-profit spaces. Elisa lives in Minnesota.

Kenny Nieh

Senior Product Designer

Kenny’s a product designer, inclusive systems thinker, and people person. They work through the whole gamut of product design to create experiences that fit into people’s lives. Kenny lives in California.

Gianna Buda

Software Engineer

Gianna’s a software engineer who’s passionate about leveraging technology and partnering with communities to improve the lives of others. She was a 2018 Civic Digital Fellow at the State Department and graduated from Brown University with a degree in Computer Science. Gianna lives in Indiana.

Leslie Garner Franklin

VP of Human Services

Leslie’s a product manager with nearly two decades of experience leading teams and change efforts across the non-profit and public sectors. She’s passionate about the role technology and design play in delivering great services. She specializes in cross-functional team leadership, user experience research, and service design. Leslie lives in North Carolina.

Nicole Wright

Senior Product Manager

Nicole’s a product manager, who’s drawn to delivering products that help people. Most recently, she worked with the Air Force’s Kessel Run program to modernize in-air refueling planning and platform development. Nicole lives in Washington.

Tiffany Nieh

Staff Product Designer

Tiffany’s a product designer who loves understanding people’s needs and creating solutions that have a positive impact. Most recently, she worked at Pivotal Labs / VMware Tanzu where she helped startups, large enterprises, and government organizations build software using modern practices. Tiffany lives in California.

Karthik Patil

VP of Defense Services

Karthik’s a product manager with several years of experience across a range of industries. Most recently, he worked at Pivotal Labs / VMware Tanzu. Karthik graduated from Creighton University with degrees in Economics and Business Intelligence and Analytics. He lives in Texas.

Nathan Carter

Senior Software Engineer

Nathan’s a software engineer driven by building digital services for public good. Prior to becoming an engineer, he ran his own bakery. Nathan lives in North Carolina.

Matt Goldberg

Content Designer

Matt’s a content designer and storyteller with a background in clean tech innovation. He enjoys making complex information accessible to everyone. He also cares deeply about improving people’s lives and livelihoods. Matt lives in Pennsylvania.

Nick Blake

Product Designer

Nick’s a multidisciplinary designer and researcher. Nick’s process is informed by cross-functional collaboration and research. He’s passionate about facilitating connections between and within communities. Nick recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Nick lives in New York.

Bob Zhao

Software Engineer

Bob’s a software engineer in pursuit of solving large-scale problems that matter. In 2020, he served as Civic Digital Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, and is currently pursuing a masters degree in computer science at Washington University in St. Louis. He lives in Missouri.

Ashton Tu

Product Designer

Ashton’s a product designer, who recently graduated from the University of Southern California. As a 2020 Civic Digital Fellow with the General Services Administration, she discovered her passion for civic tech. Ashton lives in California.

Pri Kiser

Staff Product Designer

Pri’s a product designer who draws on her background in neuroscience and human-computer interaction to create delightful user experiences. She previously worked at Pivotal Labs / VMware Tanzu where she built high-impact products and scaled design practices across various types of organizations. Pri lives in Texas.

Taylor Graue

Interim VP of Defense Services

Taylor’s an Air Force Veteran who’s passionate about delivering value and bringing highly effective solutions to the DoD. She most recently worked as a product manager and designer at Kessel Run. She specializes in strategy, human-centered design, and building relationships. Taylor lives in Texas.

Laura Kerry

Senior Content Designer

Laura’s a content designer who specializes in content strategy, design, operations, and governance. She loves distilling complex information into human-centered content, and enjoys empowering others to do the same. Most recently, Laura worked at the NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity. She lives in Hawaii.

Emma Stephenson

Staff Software Engineer

Emma’s a software engineer with a passion for creating user-centered products. She previously worked at Google, and is experienced in a number of different technical areas, including APIs, microservices, and DevOps. Emma lives in California.

Always at your service

If you have a question for us, or would just like to get in touch, drop us a message at [email protected]. If you’d like to inquire about hiring us for a job, fill out this short form. If you’re interested in joining our team, check out our career opportunities. If you’d like to explore forming a partnership to pursue government opportunities, let’s talk business.

We love to share our thoughts on technology, design, procurement, business, culture, and more with the world. You can read up on our latest thinking at our company blog.

You can also follow along on Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

Feel free to reach out directly to one of our leaders — Chris Cairns or Nicole Campbell.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us.

Change lives every day.

We need great technologists, designers, and more to work on changing
how the government serves the public.