The Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) recently announced two additions to its staff, one whose job will be to make information more readily available to the public, and another who will instruct the public on how to improve their data literacy.

Niq Toliver

Previously a regional field lead with Power California, Niq Toliver will serve as the group’s Civic Tech Developer. She will help make data accessible by developing software and web applications as well as mapping tools and dashboards, CTData representatives said.

Toliver has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies, development, and planning from Loyola Marymount University, and a license from software engineering.

Jackie Vancour

Jackie Vancour, CTData’s new Data Engagement Specialist, will teach custom workshops to the public as well as conduct monthly meetings with data professionals on behalf of the organization’s Equity in Data Community of Practice.

Vancour has a master’s degree in Community Psychology from the University of New Haven. She was previously an evaluation assistant for Yale’s Center for the Wellbeing of Women and Mothers, and an Impact Manager for the Women’s Business Development Council.

CTData, a public-private partnership that advocates for open and accessible data, is the state’s official source for data related to the 2020 Census and is the state’s lead organization in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program.