Stephen is an accomplished technology policy professional with a proven track record of success in Government, Academia, and the Public Sector. He currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer and Budget Director for the City of San José and Senior Advisor to Mayor Matt Mahan. Stephen leads the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation in developing innovation based public-private partnerships, enhancing city services through pilots and process optimizations, and promoting best practices through initiatives like the GovAI Coalition. As Budget Director, he serves as the lead author of the March and June Budget Messages, oversees departmental proposals, and plays a vital role in engaging with the community and public interest sector on budget related issues.

He is a Legal Technologist, Policymaker, Academic, and Attorney. Prior to working for San José, Stephen completed a two-year residential fellowship at CodeX – The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics where he researched government and law enforcement use of facial recognition and surveillance. He was also a member of the Day One Project’s Technology Policy Accelerator Cohort and was most recently published in “The Oxford Handbook of AI Governance.” He holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami School of Law with a concentration in the Business of Innovation, Law & Technology.