Leading the Field: Grace Huntley

For our “Leading the Field” Q&A series, we’re speaking with leaders in the civic/gov tech space who are driving important change to make government work by the people, for the people, in the digital age. For Pride Month this year, we’re lifting up the voices of LGBTQ leaders who are working to ensure the government can serve everyone equitably, with dignity and respect.  

This week, we spoke with Grace Huntley (she/her), a Director of Engineering at Code for America. At Code for America, we welcome a broad diversity of viewpoints—and we strive to let people speak in their own words about their own unique experiences. With that in mind, the following has received only minor edits for length and clarity, and the views expressed here reflect those of the author.

Tell us a little bit about your path to working in civic tech. What personal and professional experiences convinced you this was the space for you?

My journey to civic tech began after many years in the for-profit tech industry. While I enjoyed the innovation and challenges, I grew tired of using technology to further enrich those who already have plenty, rather than helping those in need.

On a personal level, my path was deeply influenced by raising my daughter, who has special needs. The first 16 years of her life were a continuous cycle of finding and applying for safety net benefits to manage her chronic illness. This process highlighted the significant gaps and inefficiencies in support systems meant for marginalized populations.

My own background as an employed homeless youth at 13 also shaped my perspective. These experiences gave me a firsthand understanding of the struggles faced by vulnerable communities and instilled in me a desire to leverage my tech skills for meaningful change.

Feeling a strong calling to pivot, I moved towards civic tech to contribute to building solutions that address the needs of underserved communities. This shift has been immensely fulfilling, as it aligns my professional work with my personal values, allowing me to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

These experiences gave me a firsthand understanding of the struggles faced by vulnerable communities and instilled in me a desire to leverage my tech skills for meaningful change.

What challenges have you worked on recently that felt really meaningful?

Upon joining Code for America and examining the various state projects we conduct, I realized that much of our work is fundamentally similar if broken down into smaller components. While our solutions may appear different overall, they often share common elements.

Recently, we’ve been experimenting with extracting some of the most common business logic that we repeatedly build. By creating microservices that can be shared across state projects or delivered as independent, reusable containerized functions, we’ve enabled faster delivery of solutions. This could mean projects like building a document uploader that multiple states could use to have clients easily send in things like driver licenses or forms they might need to submit to receive benefits. This approach allows us to focus our expertise and resources at a more macro level, creating solutions that are efficient, scalable, and more impactful.

Civic tech should focus on fostering collaboration among states to collectively solve the issue of benefits access.

What’s a topic that more people in civic tech should be talking about?

Upon entering civic tech, I quickly realized that we often try to fit modern technology into outdated frameworks. This approach is counterproductive and hampers innovation. Additionally, states tend to work in isolation, each attempting to solve their own problems rather than collaborating on shared issues. This results in duplicative efforts and inefficiencies, particularly when it comes to making benefits access easier.

In today’s world of frequent interstate travel, individuals often move between states seeking better opportunities and fresh starts. However, they face immediate roadblocks and an overwhelming, unfamiliar paper trail each time they relocate. This lack of a standardized, streamlined process for accessing social safety net benefits creates unnecessary hardship.

Civic tech should focus on fostering collaboration among states to collectively solve the issue of benefits access. By creating unified, interoperable systems, we can ensure that people moving between states can transition smoothly without starting from scratch every time. This collaborative approach would not only enhance efficiency but also significantly improve the lives of those who rely on these essential services.

What are you excited about accomplishing next—and who do you need working alongside you to be successful?

With the rising efficiency and usability of AI, our organization is exploring how AI can help those in need of government assistance. Given the many questions around privacy, trust, bias, and reliability, we are focusing on small-scale experiments to identify where AI can be most effective. By taking this approach, we can better understand the challenges and develop strategies to overcome them.

To be successful, we need to attract individuals with AI expertise from outside the civic tech sector. Their experience will be crucial in building the necessary skill sets for the future. Additionally, this will help us enhance our internal capabilities, preparing us to leverage AI in ways that make a meaningful impact on the communities we serve.

While celebrating Pride, I will also be mourning the many who are no longer with us simply because they chose to embrace and live as their true selves. Their bravery and sacrifices have paved the way for our progress, and I am committed to honoring their legacy by continuing the fight for equality and inclusion.

During Pride Month it feels important to ask: What are you proud of?

This will be my eighth Pride and the second time I will be marching at the front of the SF Pride parade. Although it can still be hard to celebrate amidst the constant attacks on our community, I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come. Outside of my day job, I serve on the Board of Directors for OpenHouse SF, the largest LGBTQI senior affordable housing program.

Recently, I spent time with a transgender woman who is a resident and was involved in the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in 1966 in San Francisco. Hearing her firsthand account of life as a transgender woman in the 1960s made me acutely aware of how many of the rights and possibilities I enjoy today came from the hardships endured by people I know personally.

I am a proud, open transgender woman leading software engineering teams in an industry that has not historically been a safe space for women. While celebrating Pride, I will also be mourning the many who are no longer with us simply because they chose to embrace and live as their true selves. Their bravery and sacrifices have paved the way for our progress, and I am committed to honoring their legacy by continuing the fight for equality and inclusion.