Nader Afzalan, P.h.D., a California public servant and educator, recently shared lessons from his career at the intersection of data, governance, and program design—highlighting both structural challenges and opportunities for more effective state government. Afzalan, Program Director at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design and Founder of The Triangle, delivered a keynote address at the Forum on Emerging Technologies and Government Modernization on December 4, 2025.

As a case study in both progress and pitfalls, Afzalan highlighted the Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS), which launched in seven months during the COVID-19 pandemic. He credited the project’s rapid delivery to streamlined processes, agile development and the mobilization of mission-driven technologists. He also reflected on how California systems remain risk-averse and impact-resistant, citing other examples in his twenty-minute presentation.

He previously served in the Newsom Administration as a Senior Advisor in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, a Manager of the Data Integration Unit at the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, and a Senior Advisor at the California Air Resources Board.

Watch the 20-minute speech below: