Her name is Audrey Chen, senior web designer, has left the comedy world to pursue politics. Find out what sparked her change in careers. Click below.
Chen, 34, had never worked for the government before — or expected that she would. But in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, she leapt at the chance to join a new agency that likens itself to a tech startup, with the goal of creating an efficient, participatory, transparent government that replaces ideology and partisanship with data and results.
She’s now the CFPB’s creative director, helping to lead a tech and innovation team whose work is integral to the agency’s policy efforts. “I’m excited by things that need fixing,” said Chen, a petite Brooklynite with a chin-length bob and thick black glasses.
Chen is joined by Victor Zapanta, a 29-year-old CFPB Web developer who uses Twitter and Foursquare to track his every move around Washington, whether it’s a pop-up art installation in Anacostia or the launch of a new credit-card database.
As a CFPB tech specialist, Erie Meyer, 27, espouses the startup strategies of Eric Ries, a leading Web entrepreneur outside of the office, she hosts meet-ups for a group of female Web gurus known as the “Tech LadyMafia.” Another CFPB tech strategist, Noah Kunin, is among the longest-tenured staffers in the entire agency, having joined in December 2010. He’s now 30.
These young staffers want to make Washington work better, faster and smarter. But they’re also trying to pull it off at the most politically controversial agency inside the Beltway — one with unprecedented authority over the financial industry, which Mitt Romney himself has vowed to repeal. It’s not clear whether such a revolution can happen at a place that’s required, by law, to put up red tape — or whether the CFPB will survive long enough to turn its virtual dreams into a reality.
A Beltway start-up
From the outside, the CFPB looks like an unlikely place for any kind of revolution: Its headquarters are a bland, concrete relic that used to house the old Office of Thrift Supervision. The previous tenant’s logo is still rusted into the side of the building, covered up with a large white placard. Inside, signs are taped to the conference room doors.
Despite its humble facade, the CFPB has more leeway than any other agency to reinvent the way that government works by virtue of starting from scratch. Obama’s promise of change wasn’t just about overcoming partisanship, but also using technology to change the nature of government itself. His 2008 campaign leveraged digital tools to attract voters, volunteers and contributions. On his first day in office, the president vowed to apply the same digital tools and ethos to bring “an unprecedented level of openness” and public engagement to Washington itself.
