This article was taken from the June 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Her official title is chief technology officer of the United States. But think of Megan Smith as tech's chief evangelist in government. It's a role President Obama takes seriously. When she started the job last September, they met regularly. "I think of it as an architecture or an instigation job," Smith says.
Previously, the MIT-trained mechanical engineer was in charge of new business development at Google. Smith's working mandate is broad. Her team advises the president on significant tech topics such as patent reform, privacy issues, and net neutrality, as well as the regulatory reform that could allow entrepreneurs with good ideas to advance them more quickly. She promotes and encourages top talent to join the United States Digital Service, which places teams of tech experts on gnarly problems such as fixing healthcare.gov. "If we're the country that makes Amazon and Facebook and Twitter, why can't the federal government have websites and digital services that are awesome?" she asks.
Smith's legacy, however, may come from a new effort called TechHire, which she hopes will funnel more women and ethnic minorities into tech jobs. "How do we scrub everyone into the future of our country?" she asks. Smith is trying, by working with community colleges and companies from a slew of cities to help train a more diverse workforce.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
