USAFacts, the government-data company founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, named Lauren Woodman as its new president.
Woodman, a longtime technology exec, is the second president in the Bellevue, Wash.-based organization’s 10-year history and will report to Ballmer when she starts April 20.
“Lauren’s experience in technology and public data comes at a moment when Americans have an increasing appetite for reliable, nonpartisan source data,” Ballmer said in a statement. “As artificial intelligence reshapes how information is produced and consumed, her leadership will help ensure we continue providing transparent, trustworthy government data to the public.”
Woodman most recently spent five years as CEO of DataKind, a nonprofit that helps social-impact organizations use data science and AI. She also held leadership roles at Microsoft and NetHope.
“I’m excited to join at a moment when technology is rapidly changing how people access and understand information about their government,” Woodman said in a statement. “The opportunity now is to ensure that transparency, reliable data, and public understanding grow together.”
USAFacts publishes online tools and reports that track government spending, revenue, demographics, and policy outcomes, including an annual 10-K-style report modeled on corporate filings, and a “State of the Union: In Numbers” timed to the president’s address to Congress.
The nonprofit was previously led by former president Poppy MacDonald, who stepped down last year. Megan Winfield, a former exec at Campspot and Hilton, joined last year as chief technology officer.
