Coforma

Meet Jerome Brodie, Coforma’s newly-arrived IT Specialist! Jerome forged his early career path in information technology at the Apple Genius bar. “A friend of mine worked there and thought I had the personality for it,” he shares. “I became a ‘genius’ within my first year and never looked back.” After receiving his information systems degree, Jerome got his start in civic tech, providing desktop support at the National Institute of Health (NIH) before being promoted to a Mac systems engineer. He was a solutions engineer at Kandji before joining our IT team. “I’m excited to continue to grow here—both professionally and personally—and be a part of Coforma’s inclusive, people-first culture,” he says.  Jerome joins us from Silver Spring, MD, where he enjoys spending time with his family, gardening, and pursuing his passion for DIY projects. Welcome aboard, Jerome. We’re happy to have you! #Technology #Careers #GovernmentContracting #RemoteJobs

“Kindness” might not be the first word that comes to mind when most people think about securing and supporting tech talent, but it is at Coforma! Other words that are important to us include curiosity, collaboration, self-awareness, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm. A recent article from hatch I.T. explores the employee experience here, and members of our leadership team weigh in on how these traits align with our mission and drive successful outcomes for the communities our partners serve. We’re currently seeking values-aligned engineers, designers, and product managers to join our remote team. If you read the article and think this sounds like an organization you could thrive in, check out our open roles! We have links in the comments to both the Hatch IT article and our Careers page. #CoformaCulture #CivicTech #TechforGood #CoformaCareers

We’re thrilled to share that James (Jamie) Newberry has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Delivery at Coforma. Before finding his way to civic tech, Jamie navigated rapid shifts in PC technology during the PC boom, served as a product manager for telecommunications companies, worked as a consultant, and co-founded a company that helped set up satellite systems. As the Senior Vice President of Delivery at Coforma, he will help ensure successful project outcomes, as well as build trust and lasting relationships with our partners. We appreciate his insights and expertise as he guides our teams to build technology products that undeniably improve lives. You can get to know more about Jamie and how he fosters a service mindset for product delivery at Coforma through this recent article: https://lnkd.in/gzQUz-KV. #Delivery #ProductDelivery #CivicTech #Leadership #CoformaCareers

From his first job at McDonald’s to leading design initiatives at the White House, Principal Product Designer James Hobbs’ career path has taken surprising turns. When a high school program sparked his interest in graphic design, Hobbs envisioned a career filled with the physicality of printing. “I pictured myself with ink stains on my fingers,” he recalls. His first professional aspirations shifted after college when he dove into digital design at a small marketing company during the dotcom boom, teaching himself the necessary tools to transition from print to interactive web design. Hobbs worked in visual design for an e-commerce company before transitioning to a design agency, starting as a Visual Designer and progressing to Art Director over an 11-year tenure. There, he focused on social impact work supporting nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations. “That was my launch pad into the ‘design for good’ world,” he shares. “Profits were no longer the driving factor; the motivation shifted to how we could use design to help people. I couldn’t help but grab onto the passion people have for their work in this space—and it felt like I was contributing in a big way.” While at the design agency, Hobbs served on the board of the DC chapter of AIGA for five years, then got his next opportunity to contribute in a big way as the Senior Designer in the Office of Digital Strategy at the White House. His primary project was redesigning the WhiteHouse.gov site to be more mobile-friendly and responsive for the American public. “It was the same mission-driven work, just on a much larger scale,” he reflects. After working as a Lead Product Designer at the Washington Post and a brief stint at a blockchain company, Hobbs was one of the first Principal Product Designers to join the Cofoma team. “I’ve grown a lot professionally over the last four years,” he shares. “I’ve been provided so many opportunities for that growth, all while supporting verticals I’m passionate about, like healthcare and Veteran services.” Becoming a human-centered design (HCD) lead has recently given Hobbs a fresh perspective on leadership. “I’ve learned that leading a practice requires a different skill set than leading a project,” he shares. “It’s no longer just about being an experienced designer who can talk to clients; it’s about guiding teams and stakeholder interactions, communicating design decisions effectively, and championing accessibility and HCD principles along the way.” If you’re looking for your next opportunity to make a difference in the world of civic tech, Coforma is hiring! Check out our open roles at https://coforma.io/careers. #HCD #DesignForGood #Leadership #EmployeeExperience #GovCon #Hiring

We’re pleased to introduce Coforma’s newest Product Designer, A’Nita Evans! Joining us from Atlanta, GA, A’Nita is an accomplished designer with over ten years of experience in UX and product design. With a strong passion for designing with accessibility in mind and creative problem-solving, she’s worked with private sector companies to enhance user experience and achieve strategic goals. She’s also spoken at design events on the importance of diversity and expanding empathy to improve user inclusion and create better products. “Coforma’s mission of working on initiatives that truly make a positive impact for others who are often overlooked while also using ethical practices and being an inclusive company excited me,” A’Nita shares. “I look forward to contributing to work that continues to make civic and government services easily accessible to your ‘everyday’ person.” Among her many hobbies, A’Nita enjoys cooking, gardening, studying cybersecurity to design with data safety in mind, and learning languages. Welcome, A’Nita! We’re so glad you’re on the team. #CoformaCareers #GovCon #RemoteWork #ProductDesign

As part of our mission to promote public-interest technology solutions, Coforma is pleased to sponsor AFCEA Bethesda’s inaugural summer gala on July 25. This evening at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. is the ideal rendezvous location for attendees looking to connect with leaders across government and industry to solve today’s most critical IT challenges. We’re excited for the opportunity to exchange insights with fellow field agents and government leaders over a well-crafted cocktail (shaken, not stirred, of course). Eduardo F. O., CEO, Gresford Barrington Gray, CFO, and Fahima Vakalia, VP of Business Development and Partnerships, will be on hand to engage, strategize, and build connections. Proceeds from the event will benefit N Street Village, a local organization supporting women experiencing homelessness by offering a broad spectrum of services, housing, and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. Will you be joining us at this evening of intrigue and impact? Let us know! This message will self-destruct in 3 . . . 2 . . . 💥 #Government #CivicTech #Innovation #Technology #Leadership #DigitalServices

We’re pleased to introduce our newly-arrived Director of Product Design, Cat Rayburn! In her early digital days, Cat created visually stunning Macromedia Flash websites that proved to be mostly unusable. Realizing the importance of usability was the epiphany that inspired her to pursue a career in UX. Over the last twenty years, Cat has worked on solving interesting design challenges, from honing the parking skills of self-driving cars to designing data visualizations and algorithms that help teachers identify and address students’ skill gaps. Most recently, she assisted DevOps professionals in updating servers without causing an accidental digital apocalypse. Coforma’s approach to product design aligned well with Cat’s personal mindset. “It’s easy to talk about human-centered design, but it’s hard to do,” she says. “Humans are complicated; we’re all edge cases in some situations. I appreciate Coforma’s commitment to including research in the design process every time and designing beyond the happy path.” Cat was also drawn to our emphasis on collaboration. “I firmly believe that when it comes to teams, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts,” she says. “While here, I hope to enable the members of the product design team to do some of the best work of their careers.” In her spare time, Cat enjoys transforming her crabgrass yard in Portland, OR into a native plant habitat for birds and pollinators and managing the ever-growing arugula in her vegetable garden. Welcome to the team, Cat! #CoformaCareers #GovernmentServices #CivicTech #ProductDesign

“What I’ve decided in my life is that, if there is a table I’m invited to and I feel like it doesn’t fully reflect the diversity needed to make good decisions, I will either give up my seat to make sure it goes to the right person for [good] decisions to be made. Or I will do my absolute best to add as many seats as possible to make those good decisions.” — Marissa Parisi, Senior Director, Account Management The IMPACT Women in Leadership Podcast celebrates the contributions of trailblazing women in business, technology, government, and beyond. In a recent episode, Marissa shared her journey and perspectives on healthcare innovation, the importance of mentorship, keys to building strong teams and making good decisions, and more. We’re so fortunate to have her on the Coforma team! #Leadership #HealthIT #CivicTech

The latest issue of Collectively has arrived! Read it to catch up on Coforma news, including our recent work with the IRS on the Direct File pilot project, winning solutions from our Health+ Long COVID Healthathon, upcoming industry events our team is attending, and more. #HumanCenteredDesign #DigitalServices #GovernmentServices #CivicTech #ApproachMatters #CoformaCompany

Join us in extending a warm welcome to Amber G., Senior Principal, Business Operations. Amber brings more than sixteen years of experience implementing systems and process improvements in the medical device space. She’s also applied her operational and strategic skills beyond the workplace, helping a local farm scale by over 200 percent during the pandemic and dedicating her time and expertise to organizations supporting at-risk children.  In her role at Coforma, Amber will focus on understanding and improving business processes, implementing strategic initiatives, and enabling the company to thrive. “I appreciate Coforma’s mission-driven focus on advocating for and applying inclusive and equitable practices,” she shares. “We directly impact the communities our partners serve, and I’m incredibly excited to collaborate with the business operations team to further support our meaningful work.” Amber joins our remote team from Boyce, VA, where she enjoys spending time outside with her family of four, gardening, and trying out new recipes. She’s passionate about mental health and mentoring kids through coaching.  We’re pleased you’ve joined the team, Amber! #CoformaCareers #GovernmentServices #CivicTech #BusinessOps