Staff
Kate Burns
Executive Director
Kate serves as the Executive Director to MetroLab. Before joining, she was a Senior Associate at Cityfi, a firm focused on fostering innovation and new thinking in the urban environment. Previously, she was a part of two mayoral administrations. Kate was the Technology Policy Advisor for Mayor Jenny Durkan in Seattle, WA. And before moving to Seattle, she was the Innovation Policy Advisor for Mayor Sly James in Kansas City, MO. These roles shared similar missions and values, including drafting new regulatory schemas for transportation networks and short term rentals, as well as implementing and promoting privacy and surveillance regulations. Kate was a part of the MetroLab network while in Seattle in Kansas City, and continues to uphold a passion for the work between cities and universities. She has a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri Kansas City, and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Stefania Di Mauro-Nava
Chief of Staff
Stefania serves as MetroLab’s Chief of Staff, focused on curating and implementing federal, philanthropic and corporate development efforts, as well as fostering partnerships, communications and strategic programmatic management for the organization. Prior to this role, Stefania served in a number of other capacities at MetroLab, helping to deploy programs, creating communications content and implementing MetroLab’s Data Science and Human Services portfolio among other activities. Stefania has spent her career working at the nexus of science, technology and society, forging bridges between technical and nontechnical communities in this space. Prior to MetroLab, she served as a Science & Innovation Officer at the British Consulate-General in San Francisco and as an External Development Manager at CRDF Global in Arlington, VA. Stefania is a certified project management professional (PMP) and holds a M.A. in Science and Technology Policy from George Washington University and a B.A. in International Studies from American University.
Rose Mische Commins
Senior Associate- Civic Innovation
Rose manages and orchestrates communities-of-practice in projects around the country, amplifies projects within the civic research ecosystem, and leverages the MetroLab Network to support programs like the Civic Innovation Challenge and more. Most recently, Rose worked for the City of Greenbelt in Prince George’s County. Prior to this, she lived in Central Illinois, working as the graduate fellow for the City of Bloomington’s Community Development Department, and the Project and Resource Manager for the Town of Normal’s Innovation and Technology Department. During this time she served on the 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, assisted with Community Development Block Grant funding, and helped coordinate the City of Bloomington’s Healthy Housing program. She is passionate about improving municipal programs and resources, as well as utilizing data to increase innovation and connection within communities. She received her B.A. in English from Earlham College, and completed her M.S. at Illinois State University, where she was a Stevenson Center Fellow in the Applied Community and Economic Development Program.