Evagelia Emily Tavoulareas is a Founding Member of the first agency-level team of the U.S. Digital Service, where she focuses on product management, service design, and technology policy. Emily has helped grow the team, worked with the VA Center for Innovation to introduce Human-Centered Design (HCD) to the VA, and led the development of the new application for VA healthcare. In June she will join the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a Senior Advisor, where she will be focused on Digital Government.

Emily started her career in international development, designing and implementing a social entrepreneurship program for young women in Saudi Arabia, and conducting digital media training for non-profit leaders in the Middle East. From there she joined Ashoka Changemakers, where she mapped out and connected global networks of entrepreneurs, funders, and influencers. She later joined iStrategyLabs–a creative agency in Washington DC, where she helped lead digital products and campaigns for clients of all shapes and sizes.

From working with young social entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, to mapping the refugee process with the U.S. Digital Service, to helping the Department of Veterans Affairs better understand the needs of Veterans and their families, Emily’s career has been spent focused on building practical and human-centered products, programs, and experiences for underserved populations. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.