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Blue-tinted graphic titled ‘This week in NYC’s #CivicTech — Week 7 of 2026’ over a blurred conference schedule board. A rounded text box lists: ‘Congratulations to Lisa Gelobter, NYC’s new CTO!’ ‘Join us for BetaBagels: a fireside chat with NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Committee on Technology.’ ‘Be part of the NYC PIT Pop-Up with CUNY PIT Lab and us!’ and ‘Event Alert: The Common Ground Open Science.’

This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – February 12, 2026

Gabby Langston

Subject: A Historic Milestone for NYC Tech: Welcoming CTO Lisa Gelobter and Tech Chair De La Rosa

We are thrilled to congratulate Lisa Gelobter on her appointment as New York City’s Chief Technology Officer.

“As CTO and Commissioner, my focus will be on using technology in service of the public good: improving delivery, strengthening accountability, and ensuring innovation reflects the needs of all New Yorkers,” said CTO and OTI Commissioner Gelobter. “I’m excited to work alongside the extraordinary team at OTI, our partners, and communities across the City to deliver technology that truly works for everyone.”

Lisa has long been a catalyst for change. She brings a rare fusion of deep technical expertise, digital service design experience, and a lifelong commitment to equity—exactly what New York City needs in its next CTO.

A true New Yorker, Lisa’s passion for mathematics was sparked early. Encouraged by her father (one of Shirley Chisholm’s campaign managers), she pursued an academic path that led her to Brown University and NYU. Her career eventually shaped the creation of Macromedia Director (MD). For me, this is personal: MD was the core technology behind the Highway 61 Interactive CD-ROM, which directly inspired my own journey into tech.

Colleagues and friends describe Lisa as a leader defined by compassion and a steadfast commitment to making technology work for people. What a powerful way to kick off Black History Month!

From Aspiration to Administration 

Last fall, we argued that the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) needed a clear mandate to improve digital service delivery and insource government tech talent. Between this appointment and the creation of Agency Chief Savings Officers (EO 12 of 2026), NYC is moving swiftly from vision to execution.

However, the next chapter of our “democracy playbook” is accountability. While “trust, but verify” may be a proverb, it is the fundamental tenet of civic hacking.

Join Us for BetaBagels 014!!!

On Friday, February 27, in partnership with the CUNY PIT Lab, we are hosting BetaBagels 014. We’ll be in conversation with Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, the new Chair of the NYC Council’s Technology Committee.

RSVP here!

Chair De La Rosa—a parent, immigrant, CUNY grad, and labor advocate—brings a lived experience that perfectly complements CTO Gelobter’s expertise. We look forward to a deep dive into her legislative priorities for OTI, MOME, and public information transparency.

PS – The first Technology Committee Hearing will take place on Feb 19th and explore Facial Recognition Technology and the Collection of Biometric Data. Details here.

Let’s celebrate this historic moment for NYC’s public-interest tech community. We hope you’ll join us on Zoom to explore what’s next for digital equity and responsible technology!

Palante!

Noel Hidalgo

Support BetaNYC Today! 💗

In 2025, the Civic Innovation Lab helped power 44 community-driven data projects and supported 3,430 New Yorkers applying to serve on their Community Boards.

If you believe New Yorkers deserve tools, training, and civic tech that meets the moment, help us keep saying yes in 2026.

We’re aiming for 200 sustaining donors—join in today: https://beta.nyc/donate

What’s New at BetaNYC? 🚀

  • Community Board applications are open across most boroughs! If you missed our recent BetaBagels, it’s a great primer on how to jump in. Don’t wait, deadlines are coming up fast.
  • Join us for TWO DAYS of NYC School of Data this year! To celebrate a decade of community, we’re doubling the fun! Register and get your early bird tickets (a la carte options are now available!). Also, we’re seeking volunteers for both days.

Upcoming Events with BetaNYC 🎊

Flyer with a close-up sesame bagel background and the headline ‘BetaBagels.’ Text reads: ‘A Fireside Chat with NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Committee on Technology.’ Event details: ‘11:30am Friday, February 27.’ Registration: ‘beta.nyc/betabagels014.’
Two logos at top (Gotham Data Clinic and IGNITE at CUNY School of Medicine). Large headline: ‘[Inaugural Symposium] The Common Ground: Forging links between open science and community.’ Details: What—NYC Open Science community gathering to discuss community engagement, science education, and rebuilding societal trust. Where—CUNY School of Medicine. When—Friday 3/20/26, 12–5pm. Who—organized by Gotham Data Clinic (GDC) and IGNITE; attendees include students/scientists, nonprofit STEM organizers, and community/education leaders. Partner logos along the bottom include NYSCI, MakerSpace@NYU, BioBus, BetaNYC, and SciUnity NYC, plus ‘…and more.’

Election Corner 2026 🗳️

  • Next steps for technology transformation: Vital City calls for Mayor Mamdani to turn OTI into a true “transformation engine” with authority, talent, and mandate to speed up procurement, permits, and service delivery.

This Week’s Media Watchlist 🎥

  • NYC goes global on outbreak response: NYC’s health department joined the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) after the U.S. withdrew from WHO this past January.
  • The future of the Great Lakes, based on 100 years of data: Grist breaks down why ice cover is changing, what researchers are learning from new tools/data, and what less ice means for ecosystems.
  • Snow doesn’t stop New Yorkers on bikes: Streetsblog highlights data showing that people keep riding through the cold, making the case for year-round maintenance of bike lanes, greenways, and bike share.

Toolkit Spotlight 🛠️

  • A new model to count NYC’s sidewalks: MIT researchers built a citywide, routable map of sidewalks/crosswalks/paths and used it to estimate pedestrian volumes. 
  • Want the research-grade version of the foot-traffic story? The Nature Cities paper (and companion preprint PDF) digs into how the model estimates block-by-block pedestrian volumes and how planners can use it to spot overlooked high-foot-traffic areas and pedestrian hazard hotspots.
  • ICYMI, there’s a new open source tool using NYC Open Data: Brooklyn College faculty member Christian Martinez launched nycOpenData, an open-source R package. Next up: students contributing code directly to the package!  

Artificial Intelligence Roundup 🤖

  • Civic strength is the missing ingredient in the AI era: Data & Society makes the case that communities need more capacity, not just better tech, to steer AI’s impacts, build trust, and defend the public interest.
  • Decluttering government, the “green tape” way: Reboot Democracy argues that using AI to spot outdated rules can help, but warns efficiency alone isn’t the same as meaningful reform.

Data Privacy Watch 🔐

Jobs Alert and Announcements 💼 

Upcoming Events 📅

Note: All times are listed in ET

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Take care of each other, and have a great weekend!