White House Adds Boston Data Analytics Leader to Its Roster

The White House Office of Science Technology & Policy has selected Boston’s Citywide Analytics Manager Kelly Jin to help with its data efforts.

Jin made the announcement on Twitter last week, expressing enthusiasm about her appointment join White House Chief Data Scientist D. J. Patil, Director of the White House Police Data Initiative Lynn Overmann and Senior Advisor for Health IT Policy Claudia Williams. She said her last day in Boston is June 24, and she expects to start officially on June 27. Jin's new title has yet to be released.

It’s likely her new endeavors will be connected with the White House’s data science programs that focus on health data, like the Precision Medicine Initiative, a national effort to use genomes to find remedies for diseases like cancer. Her expertise may also be used to promote and implement open data sites like Data.gov, the federal open data portal, and The Opportunity Project, a platform to solve pressing problems with private-sector and citizen tech solutions.

Jin’s ties to Washington include service as part the White House Domestic Policy Council and as an advisor to the administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration.

As part of the data analytics leadership in Boston, Jin has contributed to a number of data and technology projects that, according to her LinkedIn profile, include IT work in public safety and housing. The city is well known for its application of data science and strong collaboration with civic hacker groups like the Code for America Brigade called Code for Boston. In January, Boston unveiled its first city performance platform called CityScore that crunches batches of city data to calculate how efficient the city is performing. 

Though she did not specify how long her duties will last — for instance, whether they will end once President Obama leaves office or continue after his term — if Jin's contract runs like those at federal digital service group 18F and the U.S. Digital Service, her service will last for two years, with the possibility of a two-year extension.