The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) welcomed 48 new fellows to the U.S. Digital Corps (USDC) in the program’s second annual cohort.
The new fellows will support 13 federal agencies, joining forces with the inaugural 2022 cohort of 38 USDC fellows who recently entered their second year of service.
Launched in 2021 in collaboration with the White House and partners across government, the U.S. Digital Corps offers early-career technologists an onramp into federal service with the potential to convert into permanent positions. This year’s larger cohort was selected from 1,355 applicants. The cohort represents 40 educational institutions and 20 states and territories, including Puerto Rico.
“For the second year, we’re bringing a diverse and highly talented group of technologists into government through the U.S. Digital Corps,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “Growing this corps is another way we’re driving innovation and modernization while ensuring that Americans get the services they need – when they need them – from their government.”
During their two years in the program, fellows support agencies with skills including software engineering, product management, design, data science and analytics, and cybersecurity.
Many agency partners from the first cohort cited fellows’ first-year contributions as a key reason for continued and expanded participation.
“After seeing how much our 2022 fellows were able to accomplish in their first year — from innovative long COVID research to helping shape our forthcoming HHS data strategy and deliver a streamlined resource for Americans seeking behavioral health supports — HHS looks forward to continuing our partnership with the U.S. Digital Corps and expanding our cohort in 2023,” said Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The second cohort of fellows expands USDC’s reach and impact across the federal government. Nine agencies will welcome additional fellows, while four agencies will host fellows for the first time. Fellows will support and advance key government priorities through their projects. Examples include:
- Assisting two interagency “life experience” teams that support low-income mothers and families and those facing financial shocks as part of the President’s Management Agenda’s focus on delivering excellent, equitable, and secure customer experiences.
- Advancing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Year of Open Science work to provide public access to the government’s taxpayer-supported research.
- Supporting GSA teams focused on customer experience and equity within the Technology Transformation Services’ Public Experience Portfolio and the GSA Office of Customer Experience.
The new cohort supports key needs for greater expertise in areas like data science and artificial intelligence and advances President Biden’s whole-of-government commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce.
“I’m thrilled to see the U.S. Digital Corps bring more talented early-career technologists into federal service with its 2023 cohort,” said Dr. Dominique Duval-Diop, U.S. Chief Data Scientist at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “In an environment where developments in data science and artificial intelligence are happening daily, it’s crucial that we have a wide array of technical perspectives at policy tables to ensure these developments benefit all Americans and protect against potential harms.”
GSA will open applications this fall for the third cohort of USDC fellows who will start in summer 2024.
