Overview

Across industries, data has become a mission-critical element, and for good reason. Using data can generate actionable insights for organizations and give them a navigable path to make better-informed business decisions— and public sector agencies especially house myriads of data that can used to drive data-driven decision-making. Still, knowing where to get started with using data can be a challenge.

The City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) implements a data-informed comprehensive strategy to address gang violence in a coordinated way throughout the city. Hear how GRYD built a data strategy that's yielded results during a live webinar on November 29, 2023, at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET. You'll join leadership from the GRYD Research & Evaluation Team at Cal State LA and their technology partners at Bonterra to explore GRYD's data journey and how other organizations can start aligning their data methods with their mission.

You'll Learn:

How data supports documenting GRYD’s impact over time
Practical tips for getting started with a data analytics strategy
Best practices for aligning data methods with policy goals

Speakers

Molly Kraus

Director of the GRYD Research & Evaluation Team, Cal State LA

Molly Kraus, MPL, first began working with the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) on the evaluation of the GRYD Summer Night Lights (SNL) Program in 2010; she has been involved with GRYD’s research and evaluation efforts since that time and currently serves as Director of the GRYD Research & Evaluation Team. The Team is based at California State University, Los Angeles and is housed under the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services—Wellness, Education, and Research Center. Ms. Kraus has worked closely with the GRYD Office since the GRYD Comprehensive Strategy and associated data infrastructure were first implemented. She has built an infrastructure that serves to document GRYD’s work, crafted policies and procedures that support and standardize GRYD data collection, and provided training and technical assistance to the GRYD Office and GRYD contracted service providers around research and evaluation. Her extensive knowledge of GRYD services, initiatives such as SNL, and the GRYD Comprehensive Strategy are combined with a technical skillset and used to support GRYD’s data infrastructure and research agenda. Ms. Kraus received her MPL and GIST Certificate from the University of Southern California.

Jill Guffey

Director of Solutions Architecture, Bonterra

Jill Guffey is a Director of Solutions Architecture with Bonterra where each day she and her teams enable and elevate the hardworking people at organizations that do social good by bringing together best-in-class tools and technology. Prior to Bonterra, Jill spent 17 years in the nonprofit and public sector leading Information Technology teams, data projects, and performing research.

Shonte Eldridge — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Shonte Eldridge is an award-winning strategy and organizational change expert who spent 23 years in State and Local Government leadership. She served in senior positions for a Governor, two States’s Attorneys, and two Mayors, and ended her public sector career as the Deputy Chief of Operations for the City of Baltimore. Shonte is currently focused on helping government leaders simplify cumbersome business operations and navigate an ever-evolving technology landscape. Shonte was named one of the 25 women to watch by the Baltimore Sun newspaper and magazine in 2020 and is most known in the industry for her energetic approach to solving complex government challenges and developing process improvement and digital transformation strategies that get results.

Webinar

How to Align Your Data Methods with Your Mission