Counting the Uncounted
Hosts: Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team(HOT), Last Mile Health and Thorn
Last Mile Health, HOT, and Thorn all count things less seen by others, from community health workers to marginalized communities to patterns of exploitation on digital platforms.
This panel session will focus on the critical role data, accessibility and visibility play in systems change. Panelists will explore how quality, foundational data is driving change across health, humanitarian and tech sectors, and how these approaches can be readily applied elsewhere.
Participants will leave the session with practical examples and have the chance to ask questions and discuss these topics with the panel.
Rebecca Firth is the Executive Director of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), a global non-profit using open mapping to support humanitarian response and community development. With over a decade of experience in open data, digital innovation, and community-led development, Rebecca has played a key role in expanding HOT’s global footprint - launching regional hubs across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Under her leadership, HOT has embraced a decentralized structure, reinforcing its commitment to transparency, equity, and local ownership. HOT’s work continues to empower mapping communities worldwide to ensure everyone is counted—and no place is left off the map
James Nardella serves as President and Chief Program Officer of Last Mile Health. In partnership with governments, Last Mile Health supports more than 23,000 community health workers who provide access to primary care to over 33 million people in Liberia, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. James sets the strategy and drives the performance of these programs and also guides the organization’s role in Africa Frontline First, a joint initiative to secure greater financing for national CHW programs from aid donors and mobilize increased domestic investment by partner governments. Before joining Last Mile Health, James was a Principal on the Portfolio & Investments Team at the Skoll Foundation, where he managed a $40M portfolio supporting leading social entrepreneurs. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director of the Lwala Community Alliance in Kenya, a community-led health organization.
Julie Cordua is the CEO of Thorn, a nonprofit that transforms how children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in the digital age. For over a decade, she has helped shape Thorn into a leading force for safer online environments, developing tools for platforms to prevent and address child sexual abuse and solutions for law enforcement that have contributed to the identification of thousands of child victims globally. Under her leadership, Thorn has tackled emerging threats such as financial sextortion and the misuse of generative AI to create and distribute child sexual abuse material, while advancing a collaborative, ecosystem-wide approach that brings together tech companies, law enforcement, and policymakers. Previously, Julie served as VP of Marketing/Communications at (RED), helping deliver more than $160 million to fight AIDS in Africa, and spent nearly a decade in the wireless industry. She holds a B.A. in Communications from UCLA and an M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
This venue has a capacity of 90.