Ali Benson (she/her) brings over a decade of cross-sector experience in organizational development, strategic program design and management, as well as instructional design.

Ali leads Data Labs, a program that employs a human centered design approach to help states launch data sharing projects that improve government services and the lives of residents. Ali co-founded Data Labs in 2021, and has matured the program into an award-winning initiative recognized by Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech for its demonstrated impact and promise to define the future of government in the next 5 years.

Ali has developed capacity building programs for civic leaders, grantmakers, nonprofit leaders, and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) both domestically and internationally. She is deeply committed to empowering emerging leaders, advocating for non-traditional career paths, and using design, data, and technology as tools for equitable societal change.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Ali enjoys participating in “cinema club” with friends and family from across the country and dabbling in a variety of creative pursuits from blues guitar to gouache.

Ali holds a Bachelor’s in the History of Art & Architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is a proud graduate of Santa Ana Community College.