Meet the Team: Spring 2019
Meet the newest members of the U.S. Digital Service family.
Tali Keren, She/Her, Technical Recruiter, U.S. Digital Service, previously an Independent Recruiter and Career Success Coach, from Rockville, MD
I’m a recruiter, a resume writer, and a nerd. Before joining USDS you can say I climbed my own entrepreneurial ladder, founding and driving 2 passion projects (TopSearch and Resumanity). Both ultimately became full-fledged businesses providing contract recruiting services to a wide range of tech startups, government contractors, and agencies, as well as resume writing and career success coaching to job seekers. My driving force, mission, and north-star working with my clients has always been to help them shorten time to market impact. But as much as I loved what I was doing, there came a time to heed a certain call. So I joined USDS’ talent team. We’re doing hard work here, and I’m here to make sure we continue to have the influx of talent we need to make government services better to millions.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Baby giggles and puppy kisses.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Mothers raising children with disabilities and people proudly living their truth!
What is your motto?
Take your passion and make it happen!
Shane Strassberg, He/Him, Designer, U.S. Digital Service, previously at Sotheby’s/The So Company, from New York, NY
I worked on an internal tool at Sotheby’s to modernize and streamline the workflow across departments and roles to bring a piece of art from consignors to the auction floor. While working for The So Company, I briefly subcontracted on the Vets.gov project providing UX and UI consultation. I also contracted with IBM through So Company where I supported on-going work to use a journey framework to align business rules with improving the Customer Experience (CX).
I’m thrilled to be at USDS to have the opportunity to work with talented and passionate people who truly care about improving services the government provides, that can and will impact millions of people.
What do you most value in your friends?
Humor/Honesty. I place these together because they are interdependent for me and my relationships with friends. I love to laugh, especially with friends, and only your friends can make and take certain jokes that reveal how well you know each other and ultimately how well you care for each other. A good friend should be able to tell and take a joke that is sharp but doesn’t cut too deep. A good friend should honor this level of humor, honesty and humility. There, I found another ‘h’ word that works in this relationship.
What is your most treasured possession?
It’s not a thing, but an activity. I love to play basketball. I have been playing for over thirty years and I’m still trying to get better (mainly so I can try to beat my best friend in one-on-one, which I’ve only achieved once when we were 33 years old!) I treasure it because it has been such a character-building-force in my life. I’ve faced many challenges through this game, won and lost a lot (when I was younger), but its taught me so much about work ethic and how you can change your circumstances and learn new skills by focusing time and energy. I hope to play until I physically can’t anymore, and as long as I keep playing I should be able to extend that outcome well into the future.
What is it that you most dislike?
Broccoli. I never like it as a child and was forced to eat it, and to this day it is the only vegetable I won’t eat. Why? Because I’m an adult and my mom can’t make me do it anymore!
Rick Hawes, He/Him, Engineer, previously at Yahoo, from Mountain View, CA
Previously, I worked at Yahoo as a senior architect on their video service. Today, I’m working to improve Medicare and Medicaid. I’m excited about the change from a profit-based mission to a public-good mission and my move to Washington, DC after living in California my whole life.
Happiness:
Traveling and seeing amazing places.
Current state of mind:
Curious.
Greatest Fear:
Karaoke singing.
Shelly Smith, She/Her, UX Designer, Digital Service at Veterans Affairs, previously a UX Designer for the City of Seattle, from Seattle, WA, but originally from rural Ohio (in my heart I’ll always be at least a little Ohioan!)
Prior to joining USDS I was working for the City of Seattle, mostly focusing on seattle.gov. I joined Digital Service at VA to work on the software supporting the Appeals Modernization Act legislation, and will be working on many other upcoming projects. I’m very much looking forward to the challenges I’ll be tackling!
Which talent would you most like to have?
I’d love to learn other languages easily! I have always struggled with learning a new language. My dream would be one of those amazing people that speak and read multiple languages with ease.
Where would you most like to live?
The Grand Coulee area of Washington State is an incredible, rugged landscape like nothing else I have ever seen. I would love living along the Columbia River overlooking the deep canyons and dark water. I gravitate toward isolated desert landscapes. I’d love living in Death Valley as well.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Corporeal form is overrated.
Owen Seely, He/Him, UX Designer/Researcher at Defense Digital Service, previously at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, from Fredericksburg, VA
I’ve always been drawn to serving others and realized years ago in graduate school that advocating for users was an important means of helping others. Ever since that moment of clarity, I dedicated my career to solving user experience (UX) problems, big and small, in complex systems in our federal government. As many know, the government is certainly not lacking in challenges, but it is extremely rich in opportunities for impact. This applies not only to product breakthroughs, but, perhaps more importantly, helping other government offices turn the corner and fully embrace the mission of user-centered design. Now with the Defense Digital Service (DDS) team, I am working on projects ranging from enterprise systems to cyber initiatives while applying the practices of user research and interaction design. Prior to joining USDS, I was a Human Systems Integration Engineer (this is the term in DoD that encompasses user-focused engineering and sciences) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Backpacking in the Appalachians. Meditation in nature is so centering and includes beautiful views both macro and micro. Oddly enough, I like to hike punishing distances, but I think that’s part of the exhilaration. Miles and smiles. But, truthfully, perfect happiness is on any family adventure with my wife, kids, and Jack Russell terrier (particularly outdoors related, but anywhere together with them is already perfect).
Which talent would you most like to have?
Mastery of all six series of Ashtanga yoga. Admittedly, I can’t even master the first series. I’m in awe of anyone who can get through any of them. Practicing is still wonderful, but it’s extremely humbling and unforgiving as well. Jumping straight to full mastery would be cheating though.
What is your greatest regret?
Not dedicating more time to my musical pursuits with creating, learning new styles, and sharing. It’s not that I’ve ignored it completely as I do find spurts of playing music. And it has improved some over the past few years, particularly as my daughters explore and share their own musical talents. Just like time in nature, losing oneself in music (both listening and creating) fills me with deeper connection not routinely found in the day-to-day of life.
Megan Furman, She/Her, StratOps at Defense Digital Service, previously at Palantir Technologies, US Government, from Minneapolis, Minnesota
I’m thrilled to be joining DDS after six years at Palantir Technologies, where I was part of growing the organization from a small start-up to a company with a global footprint. This is a return to government for me and I’m excited to be in public service again. I was drawn to DDS and its focus on mission-driven enterprise-level technology innovation.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting outside on a sunny day with a light breeze and a big cup of coffee.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I’m very patient until I’m not. It may be because I’m from Minnesota.
What do you most value in your friends?
Kindness and honesty.
The best of technology.
The best of government.
And we want you.
We’re looking for the most tenacious designers, software engineers, product managers, and more, who are committed to untangling, rewiring and redesigning critical government services. You’ll join a team of the most talented technologists from across the private sector and government.
If you have questions regarding employment with the U.S. Digital Service, please contact us at usds@omb.eop.gov and visit usds.gov/join.
