A fellow public servant who can help

My high school chemistry teacher used to say, "crose [sic] enough for government work" when he completed a problem. He would turn to the class with a smirk on his face as if high school students really were in on the joke.

It wasn't until years later, when I had begun government work, that I began saying the phrase myself. It became a running joke with my close colleague during our time at City Hall. When she left, she presented me with a gift - a custom rubber stamp that said "good enough" and a note: "Let's make this mean what it meant at the turn of the century - that something was high quality." During World War II, the phrase "good enough for government" meant that something met rigorous standards. It was a stamp of approval.

Today, the phrase is a punchline, not a reality. It's uttered when something barely passes muster. The phrase has become infused with a sense of cynicism and resignation.

Good Enough was founded to reclaim that phrase for the public sector.

About Justin

Justin Elszasz is a public servant, civic technologist, and maker with 20 years of experience in spanning engineering, public policy and administration, data and AI, and innovation. Previously, Justin served as Chief Data Officer for the City of Baltimore and Interim Director of the Mayor's Office of Performance & Innovation. He built Baltimore's first Digital Services team, launched the Baltimore Data Academy, and created the Data Fellows program to recruit and embed analysts across city agencies. Justin led the city to achieve What Works Cities certification, a national recognition for cities that are using data and evidence to improve their services. He was nominated for the 2022 StateScoop LocalSmart award and was recognized by CDO Magazine as a Local Leading Data Executive.

Justin serves on the board of directors at Open Works, the country's largest non-profit makerspace, and has taught graduate-level data visualization at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He holds an M.S. from Columbia University and a B.S. from Case Western Reserve University, both in mechanical engineering.