Tech Policy Expertise: Skills & education

Dr. Ronda Železný-Green is an internationally recognised digital governance strategist, data policy expert, and champion for equitable technology systems. As a Black and Indigenous woman living with ADHD, she brings a rare blend of lived experience, strategic insight, and technical expertise to the global effort to build more just and inclusive digital futures.

She holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography and an MSc in Sustainable Development (ICT4D) from Royal Holloway, University of London, as well as an MA in Applied Linguistics and a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Technology Design from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She also earned a BA in Philosophy and Spanish (Honours) with a minor in Non-Profit Management from Salem College. Fluent in English and Spanish, Ronda brings cultural and linguistic fluency to her work with global partners.

Her journey began with a bold vision: that digital transformation should serve everyone—not just the powerful. As Co-Founder and Director of Panoply Digital, a women-owned, socially conscious consultancy, Ronda helped governments and international organisations design technology-driven solutions that reflect the realities of those they aim to serve. She co-developed USAID’s Gender Digital Divide course, supporting public officials in Ghana, Malawi, and Senegal to operationalise gender equity in digital policy. Her work has always bridged the gap between theory and practice—turning high-level commitments into action on the ground.

That same commitment drives her leadership as the CEO and Co-Founder of datocracy, a nonprofit initiative created to democratise access to data and AI education. At datocracy, Ronda is helping to shift the balance of power in the digital space by equipping women, people with disabilities, and the Global Majority with the skills to participate fully—and lead confidently—in the data economy. The platform offers free, community-rooted learning that prioritises accessibility, relevance, and impact. For Ronda, datocracy isn’t just about inclusion—it’s about liberation.

Before founding datocracy, Ronda served as Program Director at data.org, where she led one of the world’s most ambitious digital public sector learning initiatives. Under her leadership, over 3.1 million civil servants in India and more than 30,000 officials in Nigeria received training in responsible data management and digital governance. She embedded robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure sustained impact because, for Ronda, digital transformation must be measurable, ethical, and human-centred.

Earlier in her career, Ronda shaped digital learning systems at scale. At the Internet Society, she led the design and rollout of a global learning platform that reached more than 15,000 learners annually across 15 countries. She created multilingual courses covering topics such as privacy, encryption, and internet governance, and built a cross-sector network of over 77,000 stakeholders, while managing a $2.5 million global portfolio. Her work proved that learning can be both technically rigorous and radically inclusive.

At the GSMA, she delivered regulatory training for policymakers in over 150 countries, helping national governments and regulatory bodies adapt to the fast-changing landscape of digital policy. Her expertise in agile regulation, e-governance, and public sector innovation positioned her as a trusted advisor on the global stage.

Ronda’s foundation in digital equity was shaped through her early work as an educator. From the U.S. and the UK to South Korea, Equatorial Guinea, and Madagascar—where she served in the U.S. Peace Corps—she has witnessed firsthand the barriers that prevent communities from accessing the full promise of digital opportunity. These experiences continue to ground her belief that digital transformation must start with people—not just infrastructure or innovation.

Across every role, initiative, and country, Dr. Ronda Železný-Green is helping to redefine who digital systems are for—and how they can be reimagined to serve equity, accountability, and collective progress.