1. NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Devin Middlebrook, 775­589­5230
For Immediate Release: May 23, 2016
New partnership uses technology
to improve government
Stateline, Nevada – ​The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the “Hack Tahoe” Code for America
Brigade are partnering to enhance the effectiveness of government through the use of technology.
This new partnership brings community members together through Code for America, a non­profit
organization on a mission to make government services simple, effective, and easy to use. Code for
America has launched more than 2,300 projects and 100 government partnerships. Local Code for
America chapters are called brigades and are organized by local volunteers.
“Collaborating with strong government partners is key to building an effective Brigade, which is why
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce TRPA as our first government partner,” said Ben Damman, lead
organizer of the Hack Tahoe Brigade.
Government partners bring subject matter expertise to a Brigade, outreach skills, public
administration, and valuable experience around solving the toughest problems in our cities. Brigades
support local governments by working together on events and civic technology projects.
“TRPA is committed to delivering better services to the public through innovation and new
technology. We will work directly with the community to create the improvements they want to see,”
said Joanne Marchetta, Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. “By working with
Hack Tahoe we will be better equipped to use technology to address our area’s environmental,
economic, and societal needs.”
A National Day of Civic Hacking event is taking place June 4 and 5 at the new Mountain Lab building in
South Lake Tahoe. National Day of Civic Hacking is a nationwide day of action where developers,
government employees, designers, journalists, data scientists, non­profit employees, UX designers,
and residents who care about their communities come together to host civic tech events leveraging
their skills to help their community.
"Hosting a Code for America event at the Mountain Lab leverages the amazing engagement the
members of our community are known for,” said Jamie Orr, CEO of Mountain Lab.

2. Hack Tahoe welcomes all community members who wish to support their cause — regardless of their
level of technology expertise.
Visit ​http://tinyurl.com/hacktahoe​ to RSVP.
More information about the Hack Tahoe Brigade is available at ​http://hack.tahoe.coop​.
Information about Code for America can be found at ​http://www.codeforamerica.org​.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and
enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving
local communities, and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment. For additional
information, contact Devin Middlebrook, Environmental Education Specialist, at 775­589­5230
or dmiddlebrook@trpa.org.
Hack Tahoe is Lake Tahoe’s official Code for America Brigade, a not­for­profit group of local
citizens and civic hackers on a mission to improve the delivery of government services and
strengthen Lake Tahoe communities. For additional information, contact Ben Damman, Brigade
Captain, at 650­930­0813 or ben.damman@gmail.com.