Meet the CoProcure Team: Joe Huang
We’re excited to welcome Joe Huang to CoProcure! Joe is passionate about the intersection of technology and government. Previously, he worked at an urban data startup (his geospatial analysis of zoning in American cities was featured in the NYTimes) and with the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County. He’s an Oregon native and a proud Vanderbilt University graduate.

We asked Joe about himself and the experiences that brought him to CoProcure:

What led you to CoProcure?

From a young age, I discovered an enthusiasm for civics. In high school, I volunteered for my county’s Democratic Party. In college, I worked on a campaign promoting better transportation in Nashville. Later, I interned in the Nashville Mayor’s Office. Meanwhile, I’d been tinkering with computers since childhood, and I learned to derive an unusual amount of satisfaction from a hard session of debugging.

My political experiences convinced me that my software engineering skills were highly needed, so I’ve prioritized career opportunities that allow me to connect government and technology. While there are many govtech opportunities out there, I knew I wanted to join CoProcure when I met the team. During the interview process, they provided me with the most comprehensive FAQ I’ve ever read. From that document, and the overall interview process, I could tell that the people at CoProcure were passionate, diligent, and highly collaborative, and I wanted to be a part!

Who’s one person you admire, and why?

I really admire my university rowing coach Jon Miller. At the point that I met him, he was already a father of two, a high ranking executive at his day job, and a well-respected coach in the rowing community — and he was just in his early 30s! He could be harsh — the entire rowing team once had to do wall sits because I showed up late — but he was always fair. He constantly pushed me past what I thought were my limits. And he set an example: he held annual contests to row against him for an hour. No one ever beat him.

What’s a goal you have for the year ahead?

I want to be more multilingual. I’m working towards fluency in Esperanto. For those that don’t know: it’s a language that was created in the late 1800s for the specific purpose of uniting people across countries and cultures. It’s an intentionally easy language to learn. Beyond Esperanto, I’m also hoping to learn Scots, since it’s the most similar language to English.

What’s unexpected about you?

I like cold, windy beaches. They are less crowded and I enjoy the way overcast light scatters in seawater. I’ve spent quite a few Sundays netting crab from a Peninsula pier.
['Mariel Reed']
['Team', 'Technology', 'Govtech', 'Startup', 'Careers']