Hon. Michael A. Nutter, Former Philadelphia Mayor, Joins Code for America Board of Directors

San Francisco, CA; December 22, 2016— Code for America elects Hon. Michael A. Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia, to its board of directors.

Nutter served as the 98th mayor of Philadelphia—the nation’s fifth largest city—from January 2008 to January 2016, and as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 2012 to 2013. During his tenure, he took significant steps to lower crime, improve educational attainment rates, boost Philadelphia’s standing as one of the greenest cities in America, and attract new businesses and residents to the city. The Philadelphia City government received more than 150 awards for its innovative programs and government best practices while he was mayor.

Since leaving office in January 2016, Nutter has remained active in public policy, government, and civic life. He is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and the inaugural David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Policy at Columbia University|SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs). In addition, Nutter is a political commentator for CNN and a senior fellow and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program for Bloomberg Philanthropies. He also chairs Airbnb’s first Mayor’s Advisory Council, an international group of former mayors providing strategic advice on local government issues and public policy.

Nutter is joining Code for America’s board at an important time. Since 2011, Code for America has redesigned hundreds of local government services using best practices from consumer technology. They’ve proven that government technology can be as good as what we use at home. Now, Code for America is ready to show that at scale, across the country, with the services Americans need most.

“We are thrilled that Mayor Nutter is joining us,” said Jennifer Pahlka, Code for America’s Founder and Executive Director. “He was one of the first mayors to recognize how transformative a user-centered, iterative, data-driven approach to solving problems with technology can be, and partnered with us in 2011 and 2012. He’ll help us bring these practices to more governments and the people they serve.”

As a board member, Nutter will bring his impressive experience to bear on how Code for America addresses some of the country’s biggest challenges: improving the delivery of food assistance, making it possible for thousands of people to safely get out of the criminal justice system, and matching people with workforce development training that actually works.

“I am looking forward to working with Code for America to help millions of people get the help they need, while showing that government can work so much better,” said Nutter, who brought the Code for America fellowship to Philadelphia in 2012. “When we make government work for all Americans, we build the trust and faith in government that is so desperately needed right now.”

For media inquiries, please send an email to media@codeforamerica.org.