May 30, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
New role: Gene Koo, 35, has taken the helm at iCivics, the nonprofit organization in Washington founded by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The group promotes civics education through online games aimed at middle-school students, coupled with curriculums developed for their teachers.
Background: Mr. Koo previously worked as a manager at Blue State Digital, a company that provides assistance with online fund raising, advocacy, and social networking. As a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, he helped create a program that allowed residents of Allston, Mass., to offer ideas for the design of a public park using 3D technology.
Education: Mr. Koo received a bachelor’s degree in social studies and a law degree, both from Harvard.
His goals: He intends to hire more personnel and seek new ways to increase the group’s revenue, to fulfill its mission of establishing a robust civics education and curriculum in every state. “We are told by researchers that the generation we are reaching out to has a much stronger inclination than previous generations to be civically involved,” he says. “There is an opportunity here for us to figure out how to tap that upswell of interest so that we can move forward as a country.”
Why he was hired: “Gene had the right mix of legal experience, which was important to our board, forward-thinking, new-media experience, and on-the-ground understanding of how games and digital media can change the way people think about the world around them,” says Abigail B. Taylor, the outgoing executive director of iCivics. Mr. Koo also clicked with Justice O’Connor. “This is her legacy project and she needs to trust the person who is at the helm,” says Ms. Taylor.
Salary: He declined to reveal it. The group’s budget for 2012 is $2-million.
Book he recommends: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, by James Paul Gee, an iCivics board member.
