Frequently Asked Questions

The Tech Talent Project is nonpartisan, nonprofit project dedicated to increasing the ability of the U.S. government to recruit modern technical leaders in order to achieve critical economic, policy, and human outcomes. It was founded in 2017 by former technology leaders from the Obama and Trump White Houses.

The Tech Talent Project was founded by Jennifer Anastasoff and Jennifer Smith, who led recruiting and people operations for the United States Digital Service from its founding in 2014 to the end of 2017. Prior to helping found the U.S. Digital Service, Jennifer Anastasoff founded several social enterprises, including co-founding Fuse Corps. The Tech Talent Project is supported by a network of prominent technology leaders and former government officials.

The Tech Talent Project’s mission is to increase the ability of the U.S. government to recruit modern technical leaders in order to achieve critical economic, policy, and human outcomes. The first phase of this work focuses on identifying the key positions necessary to achieve this, clarifying the critical skill sets those leaders need to have, and getting that information into the hands of the people who need it. This phase has come to fruition in the publication of Tech Talent for 21st Century Government which was released on April 16, 2020 in conjunction with the Partnership for Public Service.

In addition, Tech Talent is building a community of tech leaders who are qualified to fill some of those roles. This isn’t traditional recruiting as you might think of it–Tech Talent doesn’t have a contract with the government to fill these roles, we won’t be hiring anyone, and we won’t be running a traditional interview process. What we will be doing is pulling together a pool of leaders who have the skills the government needs and a passion for serving their fellow citizens.

Tech Talent Project is an explicitly nonpartisan project. We believe that an effective and efficient government better serves all Americans, regardless of political affiliation.

No, Tech Talent is an independent nonprofit project. We are funded through philanthropy to do this work as a service to the American people.

Our experience in government showed us that the most effective way to create sustainable impact is to have a group of experts join at one time. Because of this, we’re focusing our work on 2020 and 2021, to assist with COVID 19 recovery and the next big round of federal appointments and hires.