ABOUT CLARENCE WARDELL

Dr. Clarence Wardell III is a changemaker committed to harnessing the power of technology, data, and evidence to create positive social impact and achieve more equitable societal outcomes. He is currently a Senior Program Officer on the Economic Mobility and Opportunity team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he leads the team's efforts to foster innovation to improve economic outcomes for individuals in the U.S. with low incomes. Before joining the foundation, Clarence served in several senior roles in the Biden-Harris Administration and on the transition team focused on policy implementation and advancing equity through the federal government. As a Senior Advisor for Policy Implementation and Delivery on the Domestic Policy Council, he played a key role in establishing and leading the President's Equitable Data Working Group as well as working across agencies to develop the Administration’s perspective on the fair and equitable use of artificial intelligence, resulting in the release of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. Clarence also served as the Chief Data and Equity Officer for the White House American Rescue Plan Team, where he worked to ensure that historic federal funding reached underserved communities and families in a fair and equitable manner, including documenting these efforts in the Administration’s report on Advancing Equity Through the American Rescue Plan.

Clarence has also previously served in roles at Results for America, CNA Corporation, and in the Obama Administration working to scale evidence-based solutions to address various challenges at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Clarence’s work in the Obama Administration, where he co-led the White House Police Data Initiative as a Presidential Innovation Fellow and member of the U.S. Digital Service, earned him recognition as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business in 2017. In 2012, Clarence co-founded and later sold tinyGive, a social media-based charitable giving platform, where he also conducted research that has appeared in the Journal of Public Economics and Wall Street Journal.

Throughout his career, Clarence has been actively involved in various organizations focused on economic opportunity and criminal justice reform as a board member and advisor. He holds a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.