By Jonathan Simpson
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced Monday that he added two new employees to his staff that will be tasked with updating city government operations and closing the digital divide in Baltimore.
Justin Elszasz will move from his current position as an analyst in the Office of Performance and Innovation to become the city’s chief data officer. He will work with city agencies to improve the way data evidence can be used to improve city services.
He is also charged with developing Baltimore’s first Open Checkbook, a digital platform that will allow residents to view city expenditures. In addition, Elszasz will launch a formal data training program for city employees and engage with the broader Baltimore community around data and technology, the mayor said in a statement.
Scott said he has also hired Jason Hardebeck, the co-founder and CEO of The Foundery, a manufacturing technology company that helps launch startups, as the city’s first director of Broadband and Digital Equity.
Hardebeck’s responsibilities will be to find ways to close the digital divide in Baltimore. According to the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, 75,000 city households do not have a computer and 96,000 lack broadband service to connect to the Internet.
The two positions will be funded through pre-existing resources and will not require the allocation of additional funds, Scott said.
“Both the Chief Data Officer and Digital Equity Director will play integral roles on my team, working to improve data practices across the board and close the digital divide for Baltimore residents,” Scott said in a written statement.
Scott said his administration will be focused on modernizing practices of city government.
“Every day, I’m inspired to work in an administration that places data, equity and transparency at the center of our work for residents and am honored to continue serving the city in this new and broader capacity,” Elszasz said.
“I’m honored to serve the Scott administration as we work to close the digital divide once and for all,” Hardebeck said.
Elszasz has been the deputy director and analytics lead since 2019. He helped create a data analyst recruiting program called Data Fellows. Elszasz also helped the U.S. Department of Energy appliance standards program and led data projects with a focus on improving residential energy programs.
Hardebeck received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and a Master’s degree in business from Johns Hopkins University. He also served in the U.S. military.
Hardebeck was previously the managing director of a health technology accelerator and executive director of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and Maryland Business Council.