A Conversation with Rachel Haot

Chief Digital Officer, City of New York

"The Intersection of Tech and Media in NYC"

Rachel Haot (formerly Rachel Sterne) is the Chief Digital Officer for the City of New York, leading NYC Digital, part of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. The mission of NYC Digital is to realize Mayor Bloomberg's digital roadmap for New York City, a plan to fulfill the City's digital potential. The City's digital roadmap focuses on five core pillars of Access, Education, Open Government, Engagement and Industry. The full strategy is available at nyc.gov/digital. In addition to providing strategic guidance, NYC Digital is focused on enhancing the way that city government engages with New Yorkers online, and on supporting and partnering with the thriving tech industry. Today New York City government has a digital audience of over 5.4 million, and more than 200 specialized social media feeds catering to City services and resources. Prior to this role, Rachel was an independent digital strategy consultant, and Founder and CEO of GroundReport, a global, crowdsourced news startup. She founded GroundReport in 2006 with the mission to democratize the media and help the world share its stories. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, specializing in social media and entrepreneurship. A lifelong New Yorker, Rachel attended public schools and graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a BA in History. In 2012 she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and serves on the digital advisory board of Women@NBCU and the NY/NJ 2013 Super Bowl Hosting Committee.

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About the Moderator - Athan Stephanopoulos

Athan is the founder and chief executive officer of GorillaSpot Media, a New York City based digital media company that builds video applications for media, entertainment and sports companies across web, social and mobile platforms. GorillaSpot Media boasts an impressive list of clients that utilize its video technologies, which include: Paramount Pictures, HBO, ABC, South Park, AMC, MTV, FX Networks, CBS Sports, Starz, MLB and Saturday Night Live. Since 2008, Athan has served as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham's Graduate School of Business, teaching courses in Media Entrepreneurship, Social Media and Product Development.