Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki is the Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund, where he works to identify strategies and solutions that will help innovative organizations use AI effectively for on-the-ground impact. Dr. Mashariki was previously a Senior Principal Scientist at NVIDIA leading their AI Nations portfolio. He has also served as Global Director of the Data Lab at WRI, adjunct faculty at NYU, and Fellow at the Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
With regards to public sector experience, Dr. Mashariki served as the first Chief Analytics Officer for the City of New York under the de Blasio administration and the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics. President Barack Obama appointed him to be a White House Fellow in 2012 and went on to serve as a political appointee as the Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Personnel Management. Amen earned Doctorate, Master’s, and Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science from Morgan State, Howard, and Lincoln University, respectively.