Experts to speak about importance of tech in rebuilding Puerto Rico – via GovTech News
Via GovTech News: A panel of tech and government experts will soon speak about the value of a coherent digital strategy in order to effectively and efficiently rebuild Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
This event, dubbed Rebuilding Puerto Rico Requires a Digital Strategy, will take place Nov. 16, at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., and it is the third installment of the Dear Fiscal Board series, which seeks to discuss and promote tech-based solutions for improving the lives of residents of Puerto Rico overall, not just after natural disasters. It is being organized by Piloto 151 and Giancarlo Gonzalez, who was Puerto Rico’s CIO from 2013 until 2015.
The events speakers include Cecilia Muñoz, who served as senior staff in the Obama administration; Bill Cooper, the lead drafter of the 2016 Puerto Rico Oversight Management and Economic Stability Act; and members of the Maria Tech Brigade, a group of civic technologists formed in the wake of the hurricane.
A central question will be posited at the event: What are the necessary building blocks of digital policy and infrastructure required to rebuild Puerto Rico? The event will also address how to best sustain Puerto Rico’s tech ecosystem, which had made progress despite the financial crisis that was facing the island when the storm arrived. The event will also raise money for ConPRmetidos, an organization that seeks to develop public and private partnerships to accelerate economic development in Puerto Rico.
