Natalie Evans Harris

Natalie Evans Harris is a Senior Fellow for Data Policy at the Data Foundation. She was recently named as the CDO for the State of Maryland and previously served as the Vice President for External Engagement at the Data Foundation.

An ecosystem builder at heart, she is a mission-driven data scientist, strategist, and speaker with over 20 years of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of data. Leading initiatives, coalitions, and organizations to powerfully and equitably leverage data to combat economic and social injustice.

As a leading voice in the responsible use of data for social impact, she spent her career working with a broad network of academic institutions, data science organizations, application developers, and foundations to advance the responsible use of data. Prior to joining the Data Foundation, she was the founding executive director of the Black Wealth Data Center and a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, under the Biden Administration. Ms. Evans Harris served as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration and spent 16 years at the National Security Agency. She holds degrees from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and George Washington University.