Updated: Feb. 14, 2016 at 4:34 p.m.
A GW professor will be using his coding skills to make a change in safety and justice in the legal system.
Mike Rossetti, who has taught as a lecturer in information systems technology and database development in the GW School of Business this semester, was selected this fall as one of 18 fellows through Code for America to develop digital approaches to delivering public services. Rossetti’s project is focused on reducing incarceration rates through software in Seattle or Salt Lake County where he will spend time throughout 2016.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with a great team of developers, designers and city partners,” Rossetti said.
Code for America builds open-source technology to make government services easier to use for everyday people.
The 18 fellows selected for 2016 are divided into small groups and will work in different areas around the U.S. Other groups will be stationed in Kansas City, New York City, New Orleans and Long Beach, Ca.
Fellows work full time and are paid $50,000 in addition to travel costs. Throughout the year, Rossetti will work on a team of three in one of the two possible cities to develop and embed a new technology into the justice system.
This year’s fellows will implement an application that previous fellows developed in one city or in another location where they will work with the city government and technology consultants to solve the problems of over-incarceration.
Rossetti, who graduated from GW in 2010 with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in information systems, said his time at GW made him interested in politics and public policy and taught him how to combine those things with coding and information systems.
“If I didn’t have any interest in the political process, I definitely picked that up while I was here. And ever since then I’ve been working with public policy,” Rossetti said.
He was first exposed to coding in the class he now teaches, information systems in the business school. Since then, Rossetti has been “gaining exposure to code bases.”
After graduating from GW, Rossetti put his coding and information technology skills to use as a technology consultant working with the Department of Treasury. He later worked on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign as a messaging and polling data analyst. He has also worked as a software engineer and data architect at a startup company.
“All of these different positions have given me more insight into how I can best make an impact in improving local and national policy,” Rossetti said.
