Our incredible team at 17A is powered by a range of perspectives and experiences. Through our Day in the Life series, we are giving you the opportunity to get to know our core team members. Read below to learn more about our resident yogi and Healthcare Principal, Taylor Ourada!

How do you like to start your day?

I like to get up with the sun and spend some quiet time meditating or journaling. Then I typically go for a run along the West Side Highway (near the Hudson River in NYC) – being near the water is peaceful and allows me to set my intentions for the day ahead.

What do you love most about working at 17A?

I love the holistic view we have of the health and human services ecosystem due to the diversity of projects we take on. We are constantly working to find solutions that align incentives and improved outcomes for patients, providers, payers, and government officials. Health is more than just direct care, so our work with housing, transportation, and jail-involved members helps to build a more human approach.

What’s one thing you’re learning now or learned recently?

How complex and time-intensive applying for health coverage (Medicaid, CHIP, Individual plans on the marketplace) is for most Americans.  I see so much potential to use technology in these spaces to improve people’s experience (and save the government money!). 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in the public sector?

If you’re not in it, get in it now! The next wave of major innovation will happen in the public sector. Some of our most pressing issues as a society – climate change, unsustainable healthcare costs, loneliness epidemic – will require comprehensive strategies and focused execution from public sector agencies to build more equitable and sustainable communities. 

What is your favorite 17A team tradition?

Lunch and learns. Love hearing about what insights people have from their projects and how they relate to others– everyone on our team is continually crushing it!

What’s one item you can’t leave home without?

AirPods – always listening to a podcast / music or calling someone on my commute.

What’s something you saw recently that made you smile?

We recently had our 17A retreat in Cincinnati, OH and there are wall murals all throughout the city – seeing beautiful portraits of people from the community brightened my day!