Yo Deshpande is the Technologist for the Public Realm in the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM). MONUM is the City of Boston’s civic research and design team, working with communities and city departments to explore, experiment with, and evaluate new approaches to government. Yo’s work crosses community empowerment and co-design, surveillance technology accountability, environmental sensing, and broadly how technology can make cities more connected and caring without compromising people’s freedoms. He practices Vipassana meditation and roots for the Celtics. Both are beloved rollercoasters.

Stephanie Dock manages the District (of Columbia) Department of Transportation’s Innovation Division. The program manages the permitting processes for testing autonomous vehicles and deploying sidewalk delivery robots, is exploring agency uses for drones, and helps guide the agency’s investments and strategy around piloting emerging technologies. Stephanie was previously with the DDOT Research Program supporting all aspects of the agency’s work with applied research and evaluation support, including coordination with academic partners and a research internship program. Stephanie chairs the TRB City Transportation Issues Coordinating Council and serves on the OMF Privacy, Security, and Transparency Committee.