Will Sanders
Assistant Director of Advanced Analytics
Mr. Sanders is the assistant director of Advanced Analytics at DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas. Will is responsible for providing technical and analytical support, expertise and insights that help inform data and AI-driven operational enhancements and strategic solutions for DHA. He assists in researching and analyzing patterns of poverty, segregation, spatial disparities, transportation accessibility and neighborhood quality in North Texas communities.
His work for DHA includes development of strategic technological solutions to support innovative policies and programs to address identified inequities. Will assists in the design and development of software and AI-based initiatives and has in-depth experience developing data science workflows and building scalable machine learning systems.
Will believes that the American Dream should be available and accessible to all residents of North Texas, which is his home of over 20 years. He sees his work as bridging the gap for those who are systemically disadvantaged and in a place where the American Dream may feel like an illusion. He uses data and technology to bridge this gap in three ways: by improving operational efficiency and capacity so that DHA can better serve residents, by improving data accessibility so that DHA can make better decisions, and by developing publicly available, web and app-based resources so that DHA directly increases opportunity for those living in North Texas.
Will is working toward his doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Modeling. He’s also a graduate research assistant data scientist for the Fang Research Group at UT Arlington. He holds master’s (2018) and bachelor’s (2016) degrees in Civil Engineering from UT Arlington.
Will has four years of experience in lead data science; $2.4 million in funded Advanced Analytics Research; and advanced knowledge of machine learning modeling. He specializes in systemwide and operational enhancements through technological advances.
His past professional experiences include full-stack developer where he developed a real-time web-based flood alert system for the City of Grand Prairie, Texas; lead graduate engineer analyst for the North Texas Regional Housing Assessment (NTRHA), where he implemented technical solutions that saved the organization tens of thousands of hours in labor; and data analyst for Chi Epsilon where his recommendations to executive leadership increased annual charitable contributions by 23.7%.
