Policy and Practice | October 2022

editor’s note By Jessica Garon

Collective Insights for the Future G reetings, readers! I am excited to share one of our

Zoommeetings, we are learning and benefiting from the specific expertise of teammembers in California, Kentucky, New York, Georgia, and the list goes on. To capture just a little bit of our team’s diverse insights, I asked them to share what’s top of mind for themwhen it comes to the topic at hand— Innovating for the Future: Maximizing Modern Tools and Platforms. And if you happen to be reading this while at the ISM Conference, please come say “hello” at the APHSA booth in the Expo Hall. We’d love to hear your thoughts and insights too! You can also reach out to me at jgaron@aphsa.org.

and artificial intelligence that is expanding resources and capabilities, we are a generation defined by the use of digital technology—and this was even before the pandemic changed our day-to-day routines almost overnight. It may not have even seemed possible before it happened, but COVID-19 prompted us to hit the fast forward button on innovations for the future. At APHSA, as we quickly adapted to being 100 percent remote, we also began growing—hiring new staff from all over the country, no longer limited to a pool of candidates in the Washington, D.C. metro area. As we sit on our daily

staple issues of Policy & Practice with you yet again—the “technology issue” as we often call it with our APHSA team. This issue always precedes our ISM Annual Conference & Expo, and if you haven’t done so yet, it’s not too late to register and join us October For quite some time, our country has been moving in a direction where tech nology changes almost everything we do. From the popularity of social media and online shopping to data sharing 23–26 at National Harbor, MD (visit www.ismconference.com) .

As a field, we have made tremendous and

rapid gains in access to the data and technology needed to understand the complex issues that must be addressed to support family and community well-being. We’re approaching a critical juncture for reflecting on and lever aging lessons from crisis responses over recent years to establish a new path forward—one that meaningfully uses tech and data to offer families dignified access to supports.

I believe there is a growing appreciation across the field that technology and data modernization must be situated within the wholesale organizational shifts that are necessary to sustain innova tive practices. While systems integration and data sharing are key enablers of alignment, the end-goal generally is more holistic cross-program coordination to catalyze better service delivery and customer experiences.

—MATT LYONS, SENIOR DIRECTOR, POLICY & PRACTICE. LOCATION: NEW JERSEY

I am so excited to join the Process Innovation team at APHSA where we are supporting states and local governments to leverage data and technology to transform their human services processes. In my first month, I have already seen the potential tech innovation has to overcome silos, streamline pro cesses, and improve the customer experience, and I’m energized by the amount of interest and movement emerging across the country.

— JESS MANEELY, MANAGER, PROCESS INNOVATION. LOCATION: PENNSYLVANIA

—MORGAN MCKINNEY, PROJECT ASSOCIATE, PROCESS INNOVATION. LOCATION: WASHINGTON, DC

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October 2022 Policy&Practice