In September 2022, Dr. Jay Liebowitz joined DSI as the inaugural Executive-in-Residence for Public Service – leading a new program intended to help improve decision-making in the federal government through the use of data science and analytics. Liebowitz will be working in collaboration with the DC-based Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that works to “build a better government and a stronger democracy.” The program will focus on the US federal government, although Liebowitz is also interested in tapping into state and local government programs.

Liebowitz brings to the role over 40 years of experience in knowledge management, data analytics, and AI in industry and academia, and is consistently ranked as a leader in knowledge management worldwide. He served as the first Knowledge Management Officer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and has led numerous academic and capstone programs in analytics and IT, as well as holding endowed chairs at several universities. He is a founding editor of several leading journals and has published close to 50 books and a myriad of journal articles on knowledge management, analytics, financial literacy, intelligent systems, and IT management.  

The initial goal of the project, Liebowitz explains, is to raise awareness for what data science can add to executive decision-making, and to create a shared community of those working in data science across government. He already has a number of ideas, including creating a “Data Science in Government Day” to highlight current and potential activities and developing educational initiatives, such as workshops and boot camps to include active learning, simulations, and case studies. Liebowitz is also considering how to bring data scientists from the private sector and academia into the federal government as advisors in the field. “I’m interested in how to develop the digital talent pipeline in government,” Liebowitz says. “These kinds of initiatives could help.”

Liebowitz also intends to leverage some of DSI’s training and coursework for executives interested in pursuing a deeper education in data science, noting that government executives could greatly benefit from the expertise of the 370 Columbia faculty affiliated with DSI. In addition, Liebowitz plans to connect with M.S. in Data Science students and share opportunities for collaboration with the federal government through capstones, internships, fellowships, employment, and other initiatives. Through these collaborative learning efforts, Liebowitz aims to encourage more intuitive thinking in government decision-making and data science research. “I have always felt that analytics plus intuition equals success,” Liebowitz observed.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity to get to know DSI and Columbia in general, as well as the Partnership for Public Service, and to connect to senior executives in the federal government,” Liebowitz says. “It will be a challenging role as the government often moves slowly, but there is potential for great impact with this program. If we can help senior executives and managers in the government be more aware of how data science and analytics can help them in their decision-making, then it’s a win-win for the citizenry, the country, and Columbia University.”