TheBridge profile: Lisa Roman
Name: Lisa Roman
Current city: Washington, D.C.
Current job: Vice President, Global Public Policy and Social Impact at Bumble
Past job: National Security Council, the State Department, the United Nations
Q. How are you currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? Bumble was created to fill a gap in the online dating industry where safe and empowering tools to create healthy and meaningful relationships was lacking. It turns out, there is a huge demand for products that are built with women's specific needs in mind. We are bringing that gender lens to global discussions around tech policy and regulation, where women's unique challenges in the digital space are often overlooked.
Q. Why are you part of TheBridge community? And, why do you think it's important this community exists for tech, policy and political professionals? TheBridge has created a space to bring together communities that must learn to dialogue more effectively in order to realize the promise of modern day technology.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Policymakers are innovators! Policymakers frequently create rules and norms in areas where none have previously existed. Policymaking is a resource-heavy, lengthy, and slow process - but it is necessarily so because it is critical to get right, must be the result of deliberate consultations, and must consider all potential ramifications.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? To take risks. Innovators are driven by a desire to "move fast and break things". Policymakers can sometimes act too conservatively and could benefit from taking bigger risks.
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Swings DC
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. Government work is all about consultations, ie incorporating others' input to ensure any and all products have accounted for all possible equities. I have found that this spirit of broad-based inclusion translates well into the private sector, where cross-functional work is critical but often executed poorly.
Q. Job advice in three words? Act with integrity
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? This report commissioned by the UK-based charity Refuge. It is the single-most powerful study on image-based abuse I've ever read.
Q. Startup to watch? Bumble! Ok, ok, it's no longer a startup. But the leadership of the company and its employees have not lost that startup spark: they show up everyday with enthusiasm, tenacity, and grit to iterate a product that is truly mission-driven.
Q. Advice you would have given yourself in the beginning of my career? Talk openly and proudly about your accomplishments. Your male counterparts will.
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