The Maryland State Innovation Team was launched in 2024 with
Bloomberg Philanthropies. The first-ever Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported
state Innovation Team, is charged with identifying, testing, and piloting new initiatives to address the Governor’s top priorities – particularly in advancing the Moore-Miller Administration’s fight to reduce the number of children experiencing poverty statewide – and improve economic mobility outcomes.
Meet Our Chief Innovation Officer
Francesca Ioffreda is Maryland's first Chief Innovation Officer, appointed by Governor Wes Moore. She leads the state's Innovation Team, the first of its kind supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which works to develop new approaches to expand opportunity and improve outcomes for Maryland families. Francesca has built her career at the intersection of the public, private, and social sectors, advancing innovation, workforce development, and inclusive growth.
Most recently, she founded Breakthrough Strategy Partners, a consulting firm focused on economic opportunity. Previously, she served as Vice President for Inclusive Growth and Talent Initiatives at the Greater Washington Partnership, a CEO-led business alliance dedicated to strengthening the Baltimore-to-Richmond region. In that role, she launched the organization's inclusive growth initiatives and led efforts to build a strong technology workforce, including a $4.7 billion, five-year collective commitment to shared prosperity, announced in March 2022
alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Guzman.
Earlier in her career, Francesca was an engagement manager at Deloitte Consulting, where she also served as Chief of Staff for the firm's Smart Cities practice. She has held policy roles as a fellow for former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and as a Fulbright Fellow in Bogotá, Colombia, where she researched economic mobility. Francesca holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College.
Team Members
Our cross-functional team has multidisciplinary skillsets and backgrounds including data science, analytics, civic design, project management, community engagement, and public policy.
