Team

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The Maryland State Innovation Team was launched in 2024 with Bloomberg Philanthropies, as the first-ever Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported state Innovation Team. The team is charged with developing and launching new initiatives to address the Governor’s top priorities, starting with reducing childhood poverty and improving economic mobility for Marylanders.


Meet Our Chief Innovation Officer

Meet Our Chief Innovation Officer Francesca IoffredaFrancesca 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.

  • Francesca Ioffreda headshot 

    Francesca Ioffreda

    Chief Innovation Officer

  • Charlie Rixey headshot 

    Charlie Rixey

    Deputy Director

  • Aria Miles headshot 

    Aria Miles

    Project Manager

  • Martha Marrazza headshot 

    Martha Marrazza

    Project Manager

  • Alex Miller headshot 

    Alex Miller

    Data Scientist

  • Lindsey Dobbins headshot 

    Lindsey Dobbins

    Senior Data Analyst

  • Kayla Edwards headshot 

    Kayla Edwards

    Community Engagement Liaison

  • Sabrina Martin headshot 

    Sabrina Martin

    Civic Designer