Daniel Plaisance is an MPP candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he is focused on the intersection of science and technology policy with economic and urban development. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in 2019 with degrees in Urban Studies and Economics.

Daniel is passionate about building more equitable, sustainable, and resilient regional economies in the United States and around the world, especially in the places most vulnerable to economic disruption and automation. Daniel is most proud of his achievements with Tulsa Innovation Labs (TIL), a philanthropic economic development organization based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this role, Daniel developed and oversaw a portfolio of programs designed to diversify the Tulsa region’s economy and workers away from an over-reliance on the oil and gas industry.

Daniel’s work led to the Tulsa region winning the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and Tech Hubs program, the US Department of Commerce’s two most high-profile economic development competitions, resulting in more than $100 million direct funding for programs in Tulsa. Prior to joining TIL, Daniel worked on economic and workforce development initiatives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island and on political campaigns.

Daniel grew up in Nyack, a small village in the Hudson Valley of New York. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, reading, photography, and watching soccer.