Shantel
Beam – the end-to-end platform that streamlines equitable public benefits administration – today announced Kimberly Morgan as Chief Operations Officer to lead the company’s people and processes and advance its mission of bringing dignity to the social safety net. Kimberly brings deep C-suite technology experience, with an emphasis on driving operational excellence by building and empowering great teams. Since 2020, Beam has administered over $200 million to 300,000 families throughout the United States.
“For Beam to truly fulfill our mission of transforming the social safety net and helping governments deliver resources and assistance in a manner that is truly fast, equitable, and effective, we need to continue to represent a second-to-none leadership team that not only lives our passion for this mission, but also has tremendous expertise around both the machinations of government and a track record of building high impact, scalable financial technology,” said David Helene, founder and CEO of Beam. “With a multi-decade career in government, public policy, and fintech, Kimberly brings all of this and then some, and I could not be more excited to welcome her to the Beam team to help us continue to grow rapidly in a way that ensures Beam’s platform is transforming the digital infrastructure of our local and state governments and helping build more equitable communities.”
Outdated and manual processes cost Americans an estimated $117 billion and government agencies an estimated $38.7 billion every year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These administrative barriers, including excessive paperwork, complex application forms, and more, hold up billions in social safety net funds from reaching those in need. Building products that work for diverse audiences requires incorporating a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences into development and user testing. Especially with the delivery of public benefits, where products have public policy implications, inclusive teams are vital to generate outcomes tailored to serve our most vulnerable populations.
In her role as COO, Kimberly will help ensure Beam’s platform increases equitable and fast delivery of critical public benefits to those that need them most. The company’s cloud-based software streamlines applications, case management, and distribution for a wide range of programs including rental relief, utility subsidies, emergency cash aid, and more.
“Lived experience is essential to developing products for the public sector. After spending years in financial technology, nonprofit work, and politics, I saw an opportunity to enter the govtech industry and use technology solutions as an avenue to positively impact historically marginalized communities,” said Kimberly Morgan, COO at Beam. “I am thrilled to join the incredible team at Beam and help build a truly inclusive platform for public benefits administration that serves communities of all sizes, demographics, and locations.”
An accountant by trade, Kimberly left a financial management role to work with Representative John Lewis in pursuit of creating people-centered impact. With Representative Lewis, she managed global and domestic delegations for representatives, elected officials, and dignitaries. Notably, she organized the 50th Anniversary pilgrimage to Selma, which was attended by former President Barack Obama.
Following her position working with Congressman Lewis, Kimberly co-founded Ahead Financials Inc. (which was successfully acquired). Kimberly’s leadership across government, finance, inclusion, and technology directly informs her new role at Beam, equipping government agencies with the technology they need to ensure laws, policies, and initiatives are effectively and equitably implemented.
“Beam’s expansion into government is an exciting opportunity for the company to do well by serving the most people,” said Margot Kane, Chief Investment Officer at Spring Point Partners and Beam board member. “The addition of Kimberly to the leadership team ensures Beam will be able to execute with the nuance and sophistication required, and to maximize the impact the company brings into the world as it scales.”
Kimberly’s appointment follows the close of Beam’s company rebrand and $6.4 million Series A led by Potencia Ventures, with participation from Spring Point Partners, American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, Imaginable Futures, Lumina Impact Ventures, Michelson Runway, and Schmidt Futures.
To learn more, please visit https://www.bybeam.co/.
About Beam
Beam’s configurable cloud-based platform increases equitable and fast delivery of critical public benefits to our most vulnerable populations. Its technology allows governments, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations to administer a wide range of financial assistance programs, from rental relief and public utility benefits to emergency cash assistance, with software that simplifies applications, aids decisioning and processing, facilitates payments, and streamlines compliance, reporting, and case management into a single system.
Beam currently provides digital infrastructure for 53 governments, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations in more than 16 states. Since 2020, Beam has administered over $200 million to 300,000 households. To learn more, visit https://www.bybeam.co/
