As a kid, Ckalib Nelson loved problem solving. He would even fix his grandmother’s computer for her.

These days, he works as a business intelligence engineer who applies his technical skills to build public data platforms. His first project was the Charlottesville Crime Dashboard, which anyone can use to explore the City of Charlottesville’s public safety data. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that the government is failing at providing a data resource,” he said. “They’re just not creating a platform that makes that information easily digestible.”

In 20 years, he hopes the tools will make public safety, education, health and other data easier to understand — and make taking action to improve people’s lives easier as well.

“We all have a skill that can be beneficial to help solve problems,” he said.

Videography and editing by Zach Keifer. Produced by Atlee Webber.

The first step to creating our shared future is imagining it.

For Charlottesville Tomorrow’s 20th anniversary, we are inviting central Virginians to share their visions for the next 20 years.

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Ckalib Nelson is a data scientist and community advocate who translates complex data into actionable insights that serve people, not just organizations. In his professional work, he builds analytics and data systems that support better decision-making at scale. In his community work, he applies these skills to civic, education and nonprofit initiatives in Charlottesville. He aims to bridge technical expertise and lived experience to help communities understand their challenges and make informed, collective progress.