Beyond the Numbers: How Local Governments Can Use Data for Effective Policymaking

In today's world, where misinformation and AI-generated content are everywhere, local governments and communities face new challenges in making fair and effective decisions. Adding to these challenges is the removal of data resources that have been compiled and maintained at the federal level, and the general politicization of data.

This webinar will explore how bringing data justice perspectives into policymaking can help build trust, promote accountability, and create policies that truly reflect the needs of all residents. We'll look at how citizen-generated data, local knowledge, and community voices can expand the idea of "evidence-based policymaking" beyond numbers alone. Join us to learn practical ways to make data work for people and to reimagine democracy at the local level.

Panelists

Terence Johnson

Terence Johnson is an Assistant Professor in UVA’s School of Data Science. He is an economist who works at the intersection of market design, development economics, and machine learning. His work seeks to model inefficiencies in market structures, especially in developing contexts, and design interventions to improve economic outcomes.

Jess Reia

Jess Reia is an Assistant Professor of Data Science at UVA and a faculty co-lead of the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab. Their research focuses on data justice, urban governance, and transnational technology policy, especially around how marginalized communities are (or aren’t) represented in datasets and decision-making. In 2025, Reia was honored with an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship to advance new work on how digital technologies shape polarization and visibility in society.

Bev Wilson

Bev Wilson is Professor (formerly Associate Professor) in the Department of Urban & Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia. His research centers on urbanization processes, how those dynamics cascade into suburbs and rural areas, and how data and technology inform sustainable community planning under conditions of inequality and climate change.