Scarlett Swerdlow is the Acting Deputy Director of Defense Digital Service. In that role, she is responsible for developing new DDS projects and engaging with key stakeholders. Scarlett joined DDS in 2020 as the organization’s first data scientist. She built DDS’s data team and established DDS as a strategic partner in the Department’s efforts to become a data-centric organization.

Prior to joining DDS, Scarlett worked at Civis Analytics as a data scientist, data science lead, and ultimately director of data science. Throughout her career as a data scientist, Scarlett has helped dozens of companies, nonprofits, state and local governments, and federal agencies — such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the American Red Cross, the State of Illinois, FDNY, and FEMA — become more effective data-driven organizations.

Scarlett is a lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs where she teaches a class on data analysis and public policy. She has also spoken at conferences convened by SXSW, Bloomberg, the Association of National Advertisers, and the Nonprofit Technology Network. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School and a Bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley.