NLCU: How to Build a Data-Driven City

Course Description

Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Presents: How to Build a Data-Driven City is a course designed and delivered by Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities for city leaders and staff to learn how to use data to set priorities, improve programs and services, budget effectively and engage their communities. 

Throughout this 8-week offering, participants will be guided through the foundational elements of building and sustaining data-driven practices in their city, from benchmarking to measuring impact to making data core to decision-making. 

Participants will explore topics such as

• Establishing data governance 
• Using disaggregated data
• Identifying strategic metrics 
• Managing performance effectively
• Telling compelling stories with data

The course culminates in a forward-looking session on AI and the future of civic data use. At the end of the course, attendees will walk away with a data-driven starter kit, an actionable set of tools they can apply immediately in their own cities. 

Course Outcomes

• Assess your city’s current data practices using benchmarking tools to identify strengths and opportunities for growth
• Explore data governance structures that support comprehensive management of data to leverage for decision making and delivery of services
• Strengthen performance management practices to track progress toward reaching your city’s strategic goals
• Gain communication skills to tell the stories of data-driven decisions in your city
• Utilize a practical starter toolkit to begin or strengthen data-driven programs and services

Course Instructor

Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director, What Works Cities

Rochelle is a cross-sector leader with expertise in anti-poverty programs, serving vulnerable communities through roles in government, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Her work spans housing, social services, and early childhood development. She held leadership roles at NYC’s Department of Homeless Services, 100 Resilient Cities, and Sesame Workshop, where she scaled impact to over 75,000 families. Rochelle also consults on social impact strategy and policy. She holds dual master’s degrees from Princeton and a BA from the University at Albany, where she now serves on advisory boards. Her work centers on breaking the cycle of poverty across all stages of life.

Emily Ferris, Director, What Works Cities

Previously, she was Assistant Director at the Center for Systems and Community Design at CUNY’s School of Public Health, managing research focused on improving health through design thinking and systems science. She also supported school wellness at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and taught kindergarten. Emily earned her BS in Health Sciences and French from Guilford College and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Hunter College.

Alisha Limoges, Associate Director, What Works Cities

Alisha previously served as Director of College Success at College Possible Omaha, a nonprofit supporting low-income students in earning bachelor’s degrees. She managed Nebraska’s AmeriCorps state grant, led program evaluation and data integrity, built college partnerships, and supported implementation. Before that, she was an adjunct instructor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, teaching composition courses. Alisha began her education career as a high school English teacher. She holds a BS in Education from the University of South Dakota and an MA in English from the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Cheryl Burnett, Director of Strategic Communications, Results for America

Prior to RFA, Cheryl served as the Chief Innovation Officer at the National Association of Counties where she oversaw the development and outreach for best practices, and managed corporate relations and sponsorships. Previously, she was the Assistant Chief Deputy and Communications Director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. She has also worked in large corporate environments, including Toyota, BP and Seagram/Universal Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London. Cheryl has a B.A. in Economics and English from Lafayette College, an M.A. in English from Seton Hall University and an M.P.A. from the University of Southern California.

Katherine Ferguson, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Marketing, Results for America

Before joining the RFA team, she developed and executed integrated communications plans at the Council on Foreign Relations, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CFR, Katherine spent two years in Queenstown, New Zealand, where she managed front-of-house staff at a popular bakery. Before that, she was a Digital Advertising Account Executive at WRAL, a local news station in Raleigh, North Carolina. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Katherine double majored in journalism and political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nana Osei, Senior Manager, Community and Implementation, What Works Cities

He previously worked as a Staff Assistant for the United States Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works and for Senator James Inhofe. He began his interest in government work at the College of Charleston, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Tessa Bryant, Manager, Community and Implementation, What Works Cities

Tessa previously served as a Grants Manager and Associate Chapters Manager with the international menstrual health nonprofit, Days for Girls. There, Tessa was a resource for hundreds of volunteer groups working to address menstrual inequity around the world. Tessa also previously worked as a case manager for resettled single mother refugees and their families, helping them adjust to life in Cleveland, Ohio. Tessa has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in Gender, Globalization, and Rights from the University of Galway.