Books

Contributing Editor with Paula Rogers and foreword author for The Art of Voting, produced by Alison Mann and Stephanie Perea of Cawzii in support of Stacy Abrams’ campaign for governor of Georgia (link to buy/donate).

Guides

Managed research and writing for the inaugural edition (2020) of the Courage California Progressive Voter Guide a statewide down-ballot voter guide for the state of California aligned with 60+ partners at the national, state, and local levels.

"A Guide to Working With People's Data Responsibly" written in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal surrounding its exploitation of Facebook data for Thicket Labs. 2018.

Reports

Presentations from the Health Equity Design Lab Strategy Session compiled as part of the Women’s Wealth and Health Equity Summit for the Center for Global Policy Solutions. 2017.

“Health Equity From the Inside Out: A Data-Driven Exploration of the Challenges and Best Practices for Operationalizing Health Equity” written as part of the Health Equity Design Lab for Thicket Labs and the Center for Global Policy Solutions. 2017.

“The Lifehack Flourishing Fellowship: New Methods for Sector-Wide Evaluations” impact study and report Co-authored with Thicket Labs for Lifehack HQ. 2016.

"I'll Find My Way: Exploring Personal Identity through Cognitive Mapping" Co-authored with Thicket Labs for Chinatown Youth Initiatives. 2014.

“The Big Data Index: Bringing Data & Communities Together for the Greater Good” summarizes findings about how The Big Data Index platform could improve the current ecosystem of big data including AI-based scenario planning insights using Thicket’s AI forecasting platform the Possibility Engine. For The Aspen Institute’s Socrates Seminar on big data. Co-authored with Thicket Labs. 2014.

“Thinking in Circles: Unraveling Complex Social Systems” proposes the interaction loop as a critical unit of measurement for understanding, designing, and evaluating complex social systems. For Thicket Labs 2014.

“HAITI: Creative Problem Solving in Complex Systems” is the full report including Contagious Logic (entry below) that mapped the impact of community development programs in Haiti. Co-authored with Garance Choko & Eli Rosenbloom for Openbox. Launched at CGI 2013.

“Contagious Logic” maps the connections between the spread of social diseases through crowds and grassroots organizing behaviors. Co-authored with Garance Choko & Eli Rosenbloom for Openbox. Published in Makeshift Magazine. 2013.

“Unwrapping Identity Online: How Media Influences Transnational Identities” investigates media-based imagined communities and individual identities among transnationals. Masters thesis at The New School. 2010.

“Imagining a New State: Image and Activism in Iran” tracks new media networks and modes of production and circulation in the context of mass media coverage of 2009's Iranian Revolution. At The New School. 2009.

“Postmodernity in Howl's Moving Castle” uncovers how postmodernism emerges in very different ways in Diana Wynne Jones'1986 classic children's fantasy novel and Hayao Miyazaki's anime adaptation of 2005. At The New School. Presented at the 2009 MLA Conference. 

“No Easy Answers” centers on the question of how for many years, M.I.A., the London-born Sri Lankan Tamil rapper, was not asked to explain why her art contains references to the internationally known terrorist organization familiarly known as the Tamil Tigers. And in a recent interview, M.I.A. called the civil war in Sri Lanka a genocide and compared its history of ethnic conflict to Nazi-Germany. What lies behind M.I.A.’s contentious claim? At The New School. Published in Immediacy. 2009.

“Weights + Measures: A System of Relative Values” lays out how Marina Zurkow's animation Weights + Measures has the potential to evolve into a data-driven exploration of relative measures, drawing on database aesthetics, the capacity for emergence in visual systems, and the unique properties of multi-stream visual storytelling. In partnership with Dr. Marina Zurkow. 2008. 

“Globalization in Action: Avaaz” presents the organization as a new application of globalization as a force in shaping global policy, informed by the modern technologies of social networks and hybridized identities. At The New School 2008. Published in Immediacy. 2008.

“Cleaning Coal: The Battle to Rebrand Coal” highlights the fierce battle to misleadingly rebrand coal as a "clean energy" and provides a peek at the manipulation of public sentiment via sophisticated media mechanisms. At The New School 2008.

“Choosing Conflict Free” is a guide for consumers seeking to obtain a conflict-free diamond with guaranteed origin without compromising quality or authenticity. For Brilliant Earth 2008.

“Keeping Youth Safe: A Report on Violence Prevention in the Bay Area” is a status report and county-level scorecard on the safety of young people in the Bay Area and resources available to prevent violence and strengthen communities and neighborhoods. Co-authored with Laurie Kappe and Elizabeth Gettelman for i.e. communications and United Way of the Bay Area. 2005.

“Keeping Youth Safe: Strategies That Work To Prevent Violence” summarizes the discussions of more than 1,300 community leaders from Redding to San Diego at a statewide videoconference to discuss programs and public policies that prevent violence against young people. For i.e. communications and The California Wellness Foundation. 2004.

“Getting the Grade” offers a set of frequently-asked questions to help explain standardized testing to parents/guardians and anyone who wants a simplified look at standardized tests. Co-authored with Laurie Kappe and Elizabeth Gettelman for i.e. communications and United Way of the Bay Area. 2003.