Nik Marda

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Hi there, I'm Nik! I'm focused on making tech work better for everyone.

I'm currently at Mozilla, where I am the Technical Lead for AI Governance. Our team is building products, making investments, and leading campaigns to make AI safe and beneficial for all. I'm especially focused on making the AI ecosystem more open, public, and trustworthy. I'm also on the steering committee of the Tech Talent Project, which is increasing technical expertise across government, and I occassionally opine about tech policy and consumer tech.

Previously, I served in the Biden-Harris Administration within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where I was Chief of Staff of the Tech Division and a Policy Advisor in the National AI Initiative Office. I led policy planning for an amazing 20-person team, chaired the committee developing the U.S. Government's strategy on AI, and launched federal initiatives on privacy, digital assets, and civic tech. I co-organized the President and Vice President's meeting with AI CEOs, led the Administration's public consultation on AI priorities, spoke about AI at key events, and helped write an executive order, federal guidance, and bill of rights on AI.

Before that, I consulted on tech policy for Data & Society, worked on tech strategy and delivery for the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and interned for Senator Amy Klobuchar and the National Security Commission on AI. I received an M.S. in computer science and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University, where I published research in human-computer interaction and was selected as a Truman Scholar, Gardner Fellow, and Civic Digital Fellow.

I was born and raised in southern Minnesota, and I have the Caribou Coffee mugs to prove it. I'm a big fan of long runs (like everyone else), being outdoors, good chai, and clever puzzles. And I love meeting people — feel free to reach out at nik at mozillafoundation dot org.