Join PIT-UN’s Ambassadors Brian Gran, Mauricio Buosi Lemes, Bobbi Makani, Brenda Perea, and Diane Taylor, and Bobbi Makani at the NASPAA Global Conference in Seattle Washington September 30 through October 2, 2026.  Our experts will be sharing PIT-UN’s global curriculum and PIT workforce pathways in two sessions:

• Strategies for Advancing Public Interest Technology Leaders
  • Our PIT experts will map the ecosystem of public interest technology to help people understand where early career opportunities exist: government (civic tech roles, digital services teams, policy positions), nonprofits (advocacy organizations, think tanks), and private companies. Public interest tech isn’t a single career path but a constellation of options. The panelists vast experience in promoting public-interest tech to students and employers allows them to speak to the value PIT brings to new hires: the ability to problem-solve under constraints, facilitate cross-functional collaboration, and work with non-technical stakeholders.
• Creating Case Studies and Practitioner Interviews to Facilitate Cross Pollination of Ideas and Expertise in Public Interest Technology
  • Global PIT experts will detail the work of the Public Interest Technology in the international community to increase the awareness of PIT and its ability to impact core equity domains such as education, economic justice, law, politics and diplomacy, and human rights.  Experts will share best practices, tips & tricks, and types of interventions useful to sharing resources to engage students in PIT career pathways. Panelists will introduce a number of case studies, such as “ Introduction of Artificial Intelligence’s PIT Case Studies and Teaching Guides” and the interview with the founders of the ccHUB Design Lab and their work in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda. All content was developed with global faculty.

Speakers 

• Brian Gran, Jefferson Science Fellow and Professor of Sociology, Law, and Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University​
• Mauricio Buosi Lemes, Project Leader at the Center for Teaching and Research in Innovation (CEPI) and Professor in the Lato Sensu Graduate Program (FGV LAW) at the São Paulo Law School of the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Direito SP)
• Bobbi Makani, Executive Director of the Career Center, San Jose State University
• Brenda Perea, Senior Program Manager, Public Interest Technology University Network
• Diane Taylor, Director of Partnerships & External Engagement, Heinz College – Carnegie Mellon University