Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Data Champions

In 2025, Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities marked a milestone of more than 100 Certified cities. What was once a small group of city staff dotted around the U.S. has now become an international movement of data-driven leaders.

In honor of this movement, we are highlighting the faces behind Certification: the Data Champions. These city staff are the often unsung heroes who are weaving data into the fabric of their city halls. They are curious, collaborative, humble and above all, deeply committed to the power of data to transform their communities.

In many cases, Data Champions are behind-the-scenes, but their work is front and center: It’s visible in the streets we drive, the parks where we play and the neighborhoods we call home.

These 11 leaders come from different backgrounds; they are experts in technology, energy, geography and more. Some spent years in the private sector while others were city interns straight out of school. What unites Data Champions is the shared belief that residents deserve a government they can depend on.

In the What Works Cities Community, these leaders are quick to support, eager to scale and hungry to learn. They recognize that this work doesn’t happen alone. The days of a one-person data office are over. Data Champions are shaping a new status quo, one in which city staff across departments, at every level, are using data to make government smarter, faster and more fair.

Join us in celebrating these data leaders — the people who are proving every day how impactful local government can be.