Bio
Ariel Kennan (she/her) is a Senior Director at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, where she researches and advises on advancing design, data, and technology for accessible and equitable delivery of public benefits. Ariel leads the Digital Benefits Network to support practitioners in current and near term challenges in public benefits delivery and envisioning future policies, services, and technologies. She also serves on the Beeck Center’s leadership team.
Ariel is a transformative executive leader versed in organizational strategy, service design, digital product development, public policy, and network collaboration. With experience in the public, nonprofit, academic, and private sectors, she drives change and delivers impactful solutions. She is highly skilled at and has a passion for building initiatives from the ground up — including co-creating strategic vision and operational plans, fundraising, hiring and managing teams, and engaging diverse stakeholders. She is deeply committed to equity and justice and creating a world where everyone can prosper.
Previously, she served in the New York City Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity where she founded the nation’s first municipal service design studio and managed a portfolio of best-in-class digital products to connect and deliver services. Most recently, she was the Director of Civic Innovation at Sidewalk Labs, where she led the strategy for inclusive participation in the social infrastructure of cities.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Design from Parsons School of Design. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
Experience
Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University
New York, NY and Washington DC · February 2021 - Current
Senior Director (2024-Current), Senior Fellow & Research Faculty (2021-2024)
- Serve on the leadership team driving program strategy and securing multi-million dollar philanthropic grants for high-impact initiatives. Regularly represent the Center in national media and events as an expert in government innovation and partner in public benefits delivery.
- Cultivate the Digital Benefits Network from inception to 3,500+ cross-sector practitioners to improve public benefits through equitable, accessible, and effective technology and service delivery.
- Direct a multidisciplinary team of staff and students, providing mentorship and professional development. Oversee vendor and contractor procurement and management.
- Facilitate and empower the Digital Benefits Leadership Council to gather executives from ten civic technology nonprofit organizations to drive sector-wide collaboration and shared problem-solving.
- Established BenCon, BenCamp, and the Policy2Code Prototyping Challenge — first-of-their-kind convenings attracting 200+ participants annually to shape national vision for digital benefits and test policy implementation approaches.
- Spearhead action-oriented, foundational research on emerging public sector technologies and approaches — rules as code, digital identity, artificial intelligence, customer experience, and integrated benefits — through partnerships with nonprofits and government agencies.
- Lead the development of the Digital Government Hub, a high-demand reference library aggregating 1,700+ resources from 500+ organizations.
Sidewalk Labs
New York, NY · May 2018 - February 2021
Director of Civic Innovation (2018-2020), Design Director (2020-2021)
- Led design and product strategy for innovative urban systems to advance sustainability and affordability in cities.
- Created the civic life strategy for the social infrastructure proposal for Sidewalk Toronto, a district plan for Toronto’s eastern waterfront.
- Defined physical spaces, digital services, and programming to engage communities in decision making, relationship building, and interactions with local organizations and government.
- Cultivated key partnerships with government and local organizations to bridge the digital divide, foster social cohesion, and promote transparent civic engagement.
- Directed strategy, product development, and business planning for Collab — a new civic technology venture for inclusive urban planning — delivering a validated prototype, market research, and a scalable business plan with a proposed joint venture.
New York City Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity
New York, NY · September 2014 - April 2018
Director, Design and Product
- Built pioneering digital service delivery capacity from the ground up to improve equity and opportunity for all New Yorkers with a focus on delivering people-centered government services, accelerating timelines, and lowering development costs.
- Established and managed a team of designers, software developers, product managers, and analysts.
- Founded the Service Design Studio which delivers on priority projects, advises agency partners, and establishes government-wide service design methodologies and community of practice.
- Directed a digital product portfolio leveraging modern product management and software development approaches to redesign legacy tools and build new services connecting residents to essential public benefits and social services.
- Managed innovative procurement to deploy grants and vendor contracts across a multi-million dollar budget and promoted a new master services contract for efficient acquisition of design and digital professional services.
Code for America
San Francisco, CA · January 2013 - November 2013
Fellow
- Paired with the governments of Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri to build new civic software
applications and enhance technology policy, government innovation, and community organizing.
- Consulted city governments regarding digital innovation including open data policy and standards,
data portals, and technology best practices which led to new legislation being passed, creation
of innovation roles, and events within City Hall.
ESI Design
New York, NY · January 2008 - December 2012
Interaction and Experience Designer, Design Lead
- Collaborated with and led creative teams in research, concept development, design, and software production for cultural and corporate clients.
- Oversaw software development teams through design, code development, testing, and launch.
- Conducted client pitches and presentations with principal designer.
- Created project deliverable documents, presentations, and production budgets.
Local Projects
New York, NY · September - December 2007
Intern
- Assisted in research, design, and production of museum-based projects.
Museo di Storia della Scienza
Florence, Italy · October - December 2006
Intern
- Participated in museum education activities and created a visitor guidebook.
Education
Parsons School of Design
New York, NY
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Design, 2008
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.
Strategic Thinking & Leadership Professional Certificate, 2025
Lorenzo de’Medici
Florence, Italy
Study Abroad
Advising & Community Building
Civic Design by Rosenfeld Media
Lead Curator, Civic Design Community & Conference
Center for Urban Pedagogy
New York, NY · August 2012 - June 2013
Public Access Design Fellow
Awards
Fast Company, Innovation by Design Awards
Honorable Mentions: General Excellence; Social Good; Spaces, Places + Cities, 2018
Adobe Government Creativity Awards
Best Employee-Facing Campaign; Best Public Facing Campaign, 2018
NYC Technology Forum
Best External Application, 2017
New York Digital Government Summit
Best Application Serving the Public, 2017
Tribeca Film Festival
Award for Transmedia, 2013
SXSW Interactive Awards
Kiosk and Installation Finalist, 2011; Educational Resource Finalist, 2009