Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Dierker.
Hi Benjamin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
It is with immense gratitude that I currently serve as the executive director of a national think tank. In this role, I have the privilege of engaging with corporate CEOs, lawmakers on Capitol Hill, federal agency leaders and cabinet secretaries, and innovators and thought leaders from around the world. I am truly blessed to be in this position and I am committed to leveraging this platform to make a positive impact on the world.
What makes my path interesting is that I started with this organization as an intern. In the summer of 2015, I was in between my first and second year of a master’s in public administration degree at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. Equipped with a bachelor of economics in my back pocket, I started a summer intern role working on projects for the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii). Little did I know at the time, but Aii was only in its first year of operation as a new and exciting think tank dedicated to studying infrastructure and fostering an environment that promotes innovation to achieve safer outcomes across the infrastructure landscape.
I got to work analyzing energy, transportation, and a small set of other topics. I fell in love so much so that I asked to stay on and continue my internship remotely in a part-time fashion while I completed my master’s degree. Upon graduation, I insisted on coming back in a full-time capacity as a policy analyst. I spent the summer of 2016 working on research and writing white papers, policy briefs, and other analyses of our nation’s infrastructure systems and how they connect and serve people.
By the time the summer ended, I had moved to Washington, DC, and enrolled at the Scalia Law School at George Mason University. I dove headfirst into administrative law and regulatory rulemaking courses, focused on energy and environmental law, and sought to understand the legal underpinnings of our nation’s infrastructure. My goal was to reenter the workforce with a knowledge of economics, public policy, and legal factors relevant to energy, transportation, and infrastructure to help equip industry and government leaders with the information and insight they need to push the country forward most effectively.
In 2019, I came out of law school and back home to Aii as the director of public policy. I spent the next three years learning everything I could about the most niche policy areas and infrastructure challenges. Through research, conversations, and more, I authored over a dozen reports and over 100 articles and blogs.
My tenure with Aii, spanning its inception and multiple rounds of academic training, has facilitated my professional development and positioned me to make a significant impact. I strive to disseminate crucial information to improve infrastructure innovation, resilience, safety, and efficiency through networking, speaking at conferences, and engaging with thought leaders. This work is about connecting people and the rest of the world and shaping a safer, more efficient future for all.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been relatively smooth so far?
Law school is challenging. However, it was a crucible for building analytical and communication skills to apply to studying infrastructure and public policy. Similarly, the other challenges along the way have been taking on complex and large-scale research projects to truly understand them so that I can break them down and articulate the essential elements to thought leaders, industry professionals, policymakers, academics, the media, and the general public.
Thanks for sharing that. You could tell us more about your business.
Aii is the only nationwide public policy think tank dedicated to infrastructure in the United States. While many other nonprofits, research organizations, educational institutions, and think tanks study or discuss infrastructure, for Aii, it is our whole world – because it genuinely impacts everyone.
We are working to improve the status and safety of our nation’s infrastructure, from roads and bridges to water and waste pipelines to the energy grid and far more. We want safe and resilient supply chains to bring raw materials and finished goods to their destinations to keep prices down. We want transportation safety so families on the road do not have to worry about risks from the road or a freight train near their community.
We seek to foster innovative solutions to current and future infrastructure challenges not only by highlighting innovative technology and best practices emerging from research and development in the field but also by helping lawmakers, policymakers, and regulators see areas in which they can improve the rules of the system to cultivate more innovation, unleash novel solutions, and reduce risks.
Aii is known for its stark independence. It is a nonpartisan research and educational organization that does not always align with the political left or right but seeks to build consensus around proven data-driven solutions. We are proud of this and are often called upon by leaders of all sides for objective analysis and recommendations. We clarify complex topics and bring lesser-known infrastructure topics into greater visibility and awareness.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I view the world through the lens of public policy. That means my view of risk has two approaches: individual and public. Innovation can only happen when people leap to try new things, design new technologies, or revolutionize a process. There is inherent risk. Often, people put their life savings on the line, burn personal bridges, and end up changing the landscape forever after leaving it all on the field. Major companies often start in garages and must prove themselves in the market before reaching success.
I believe in that kind of risk. When someone has a great idea, knows it, and is willing to work hard and stake their resources, the results can be significant. Private actors and investors should tilt toward risk-taking for the sake of progress. Where the risk is not proper is in public policy. The government has a duty to its citizens and those the institutions serve. Risk mitigation and avoidance are vital to ensuring system reliability and resilience. But we don’t want the government to be stuck in the past, either.
This calls for a unique blend of collaboration and coordination between government and private actors. I advocate for risk to be primarily situated in the innovation market, led by private actors. The government can foster this environment through regulatory frameworks that encourage experimentation, while also safeguarding the public through pilot programs. It is not the government’s role to directly take risks or financially support uncertain endeavors, but it should acknowledge and reward risks once a new and valuable innovation is proven.
At Aii, we are committed to promoting a culture of ‘performance regulation’ rather than ‘prescriptive regulation’ to encourage risk-taking by innovators. We strive to remove barriers in law and policy that hinder risk-rewarding, while also identifying vulnerabilities in public systems and infrastructure to minimize risk. Our aim is to ensure that those responsible for public safety do not impose risk on individuals who did not consent to it. We do not want to risk driving over a 50-year-old bridge with a 50-year life span. We do not want to risk driving over a 50-year-old bridge with a 50-year life span.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Aii.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Aiinonprofit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AiiNonProfit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alliance-for-innovation-and-infrastruture
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AiiNonProfit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AiiNonProfit
Image Credits
Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure.
