New fellowship looks to advance technology in KC, KCK

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A new fellowship hopes to make the Kansas City area a more high-tech place to live.

The nonprofit organization Code for America introduced three fellows to Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., on Tuesday.

As part of the fellowship, they will spend a year meeting with city officials and community leaders to figure out ways to improve technology in the area.

Andrew Hyder is one of the three people coming to Kansas City. He's an urban designer and software engineer, dedicated to creating safe, fun and healthy communities all across America.

"For me, it's like the perfect combination of urban planning and technology. These are the two skills that I have to help make our cities and neighborhoods better to live in," Hyder said.

The other two fellows are Alison Jones and Ariel Kennan. Jones has 10 years experience working in the nonprofit sector, primarily coordinating volunteer projects. Kennan is an experienced designer, who most recently worked with ESI Design in New York.

Code for America also stretches through major cities such as New York, Las Vegas and Oakland.