211 Maryland, the central connector to health and human services for the State of Maryland, announced today the addition of John Mathena as the organization’s new data manager. In this role, Mathena will be responsible for analyzing the organization’s multiple streams of data that are aggregated through the 211 texting platform, web chat and call centers located throughout the state. Mathena will maintain currently developed Data Dashboards while designing and managing new interactive dashboards that can be customized for user’s needs. Custom dashboards by 211 Maryland provide insights for Maryland-based health and human services organizations, state and local officials as well as public entities to better understand where unmet needs exist in Maryland.
“We are pleased to welcome John to 211 Maryland and look forward to leveraging his experience in data analytics and mapping to further advance the mission of the organization,” said Quinton Askew, president and CEO, 211 Maryland, Inc. “There are two critical needs in Maryland – one is serving vulnerable populations with the health and human services they need – whether it’s crisis-related, including opioid misuse help and suicide prevention, or basic human needs like food, housing and medical care; and the other is educating and informing community leaders on where the needs are most – among different populations and in different regions in Maryland. John will support both of these critical needs by analyzing data from the 211 hotline, text program and web chat to help create meaningful programs and guide the formation of new laws to help more Marylanders get the services they need.”
John Mathena
Prior to joining 211 Maryland, Mathena was a community liaison for the criminal strategies unit of the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City where he created customized applications to visualize victim-based crime and scraped data to provide insights to the Attorney’s Office and Baltimore Police Department. Mathena also spent time working as an analyst for the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as well as the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, located in Lawrence, Kansas. A graduate of the University of Maryland with a B.A. degree in Linguistics and Arabic Studies, Mathena studied abroad in Meknes, Morocco.
To learn more about ways to partner and support 211 Maryland, please visit www.211md.org.
About 211 Maryland
211 Maryland is the central connector to health and human services for the State of Maryland, lifting up individuals and communities by linking those with unmet needs to essential resources. As the 24/7/365 access point to vital resources that help individuals and communities thrive, 211 Maryland connects those in need through call center, website, text, and chat to support services for natural and man-made disasters, housing, food, domestic violence, aging and disabilities, tax and utilities, employment, healthcare access, and veterans’ affairs; additionally, 211 Maryland offers confidential crisis response for substance abuse, mental health, and suicide emergencies at https://pressone.211md.org.
