How Government Innovation Starts with Collaboration with Maryland's Francesca Ioffredda

About this episode

Francesca Ioffreda discusses how Maryland is innovating through collaboration to tackle complex social challenges.

In this episode of Chief Influencer, guest host Lesley Lopez sits down with Francesca Ioffreda, Maryland’s first-ever Chief Innovation Officer. With a career spanning roles at Harvard University, Brookings Institution, and the Greater Washington Partnership, Francesca shares how her mission to expand economic opportunity led her to this groundbreaking role. She discusses how Maryland is tackling complex challenges like childhood poverty and economic mobility through human-centered design, data, and cross-sector collaboration. A key driver behind this work is the state’s partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, which helped stand up Maryland’s innovation team and enable a new model for how government can operate. This conversation highlights a broader lesson about influence: the most effective leaders don’t just introduce bold ideas—they build trust, convene stakeholders, and co-create solutions with the people they serve. From launching tools like the Maryland Community Business Compass to working across government and applying AI to help agencies improve public-facing resources and work more efficiently, this episode offers a blueprint for leaders looking to turn vision into…

People in this episode

Host: Lesley Lopez

Guest: Francesca Ioffreda

Topics covered

• government innovation
• collaboration
• economic opportunity
• childhood poverty
• economic mobility
• human-centered design
• cross-sector collaboration

Keywords

• innovation
• collaboration
• economic opportunity
• Maryland
• childhood poverty
• AI
• public resources

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard University, Brookings Institution, Greater Washington Partnership, Bloomberg Philanthropies

Places: Maryland

More episodes of Chief Influencer®

• Lead From The Back: Michael Hund's Cowboy Code for Influence · June 10, 2026 · 56 min
• Ethics, Influence, and Power | Live Panel with GW’s GSPM · May 27, 2026 · 42 min
• Why Your Business Needs a Voice with Dan Simons of Founding Farmers · May 13, 2026 · 1h 8m
• How a Podcast Put This Rare Disease on the Map with Mike Graglia of CURE SYNGAP1 · May 6, 2026 · 49 min
• Principled Influence: How Peter Goettler Leads Cato Without Compromise · April 29, 2026 · 52 min
• Tell Everybody: How VA's Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D Uses Influence to Help Veterans Access What They’ve Earned · April 22, 2026 · 55 min