I’ve worked in federal government, non-profits, one multinational corporation, and now philanthropy, across a range of social policy issues, each tied to questions of justice and broadening access to the resources communities need to thrive. In each of those contexts, varied as they may be, there have been unavoidable questions about the role of technology. My STPP background has enabled me to engage these topics with a heightened degree of nuance. My experience reminds me that sociopolitical challenges are really issues of how we relate to one another as human beings – technology may be a facilitator, but it can’t be where we start and end.
Melvin Washington II
Melvin Washington is an alumnus of the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program and has his MPP from the Ford School. He currently works as Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Planning at the Mellon Foundation. We recently caught up with him to find out what he has been doing since we interviewed him in 2021.
How has your STPP background influenced your work over time? Has it changed with your different career stages?
I've worked in federal government, non-profits, one multinational corporation, and now philanthropy, across a range of social policy issues, each tied to questions of justice and broadening access to the resources communities need to thrive. In each of those contexts, varied as they may be, there have been unavoidable questions about the role of technology. My STPP background has enabled me to engage these topics with a heightened degree of nuance. To shirk assumptions of inevitability, push back on panacean pitches, and be skeptical uncompromising detractors. The use cases, specific tools, and my own degree of influence has changed over time but the fundamental dynamics shaping how organizations and individuals engage these questions have remained the same. My experience reminds me that sociopolitical challenges are really issues of how we relate to one another as human beings – technology may be a facilitator, but it can't be where we start and end.
What is a recent fulfilling or interesting project you've worked on?
My current work involves helping scholars, artists, archivists, and other cultural workers amplify knowledge and stories that have traditionally been un(der)told. With the explosive growth of generative AI in recent years, many artists are questioning whether, how, and when to incorporate these tools into their practice. I've seen folks use this relatively new technology to bring long lost histories to life, from voice generation applications that animate written archival materials (e.g., journals, personal letters, etc.) to the creation of digital landmarks in public space through augmented reality. It's been incredibly fulfilling to serve as a sounding board and financial resource as artists wrestle with the ethical, legal, and narrative implications of adopting these new tools.
What did the path to your current role look like?
There is a common thread connecting each step of my path, even though the journey has not followed a predictable straight line. I've tried to follow my personal and intellectual interests, making decisions based on a combination of passion and opportunity.
Immediately after graduate school, I began working at a national criminal justice think tank, because I wanted to be at an organization where the mission aligned with my personal values. After three years of working with local governments and community groups on strategies for reducing racial disparities and the use of jail incarceration, including algorithmic risk assessment tools, I was hungry for an opportunity to focus more exclusively on how advanced technologies were being shaped by and impacting the lives of, marginalized communities. I had also come to realize that I had a knack for thinking institutionally, and that I enjoyed building multidisciplinary programs/organizations as much as I liked working on specific projects.
Around this time, a multinational bank was launching a large initiative to reduce the racial wealth gap and as part of that effort, a team was being created to focus specifically on digital technology and financial inclusion. For me, this was a unique opportunity to learn more about how large for-profit institutions address social issues, dive deeper into the relationship between technological development and communities of color, and leverage my burgeoning program management skills. When that initiative came to an end, I transitioned into a role at the Mellon Foundation which had recently began funding storytelling and scholarship about the criminal legal system, the commemorative landscape, and Puerto Rico. After years of doing policy work on issues that shape the material realities of marginalized communities, it's been enlightening to focus on amplifying the stories and experiences of those communities through the arts and humanities. Transitioning from working with technologists, policymakers, and lawyers, to artists, scholars, and cultural workers, has exposed me to new ways of working and deepened my conviction in the power of multidisciplinary partnerships. My experience building and operating with multidisciplinary teams and my passion for ensuring everyone has what we need to thrive undergird my contributions here just as they did in my previous experiences. So, the contexts have been different, but each role has expanded my perspective and prepared me for the next – even though the individual steps haven't always felt ordered by a long-drawn-out plan.
What advice do you have for new STPP graduates who are just starting their careers?
The advice I'd give to new STPP graduates is the same advice I'd give to any person early in their career – pursue your passions and keep your long(er) term needs in mind. The most liberatory piece of advice I ever received came to me in undergraduate school from a non-profit executive who told me she still didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up. It made me realize that I didn't have to have the next 30 years of my career figured out in order to experience success or have an impact. It's ok to explore, pivot, and retrace so long as it doesn't come at the expense of whatever material conditions you need to feel safe. We change, our needs change, and the world changes even if we don't. So, it's important to be clear eyed about what's important to you, optimistic about the future, and adaptive enough to get your needs met.