On Thursday, July 15th, 2021, Harvard Shorenstein Center and Rita Allen Foundation Fellow, Kathy Pham, was invited to a meeting with Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and five other business and technology leaders, on the occasion of the Chancellor’s visit to Washington, DC. Pham was invited to the meeting for her expertise on product and society, technology ethics, and digital transformation.
Pham drew from her work and research at both the Shorenstein Center and Rita Allen Foundation, and from her academic, industry, and public sector technology leadership to discuss with the Chancellor various topics related to technology, policy, responsibility, equity, justice, business, and government. She provided a unique voice in the room, sharing perspectives on the responsibility of the technology sector to serve people and society, and the critical role of government in ensuring its technology services work, especially during crises. She shared concrete examples and ideas on executing tech transformation at a government scale.
“The meeting was an incredible opportunity to exchange ideas and share the power and responsibility of technology across the public and private sectors,” said Pham. “I was grateful to also bring with me the experience and research of so many others across sectors and disciplines who have transformed the way we think about technology’s impact on our societies, especially our for most vulnerable populations. It was very heartening that the Chancellor’s team acknowledged the importance of social issues when we discuss and build tech. I am especially thankful to Ambassador Emily Haber for coordinating such a productive and welcoming meeting and dialogue.”
Kathy Pham is a Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and an Adjunct Lecturer on Product Management at the Kennedy School. She is a product leader, computer scientist and founder whose expertise lies at the intersection of technology, ethics, and responsibility, with a focus on ethical principles in product management, design and engineering.
