People of PCC – Eshetu Bogale: Finding the Human Story in PCC’s Data

At first glance, information technology can seem quiet and solitary—the work of people focused on screens, systems, and code that most of us never see. But for PCC Data Manager Eshetu Bogale, the work has always been about much more than numbers or software. It is about people.

“Transparency is huge,” Eshetu says. “Understanding how your IT connects with a larger audience is absolutely essential.”

That belief guides the way Eshetu approaches his role at PCC. Like the rest of the Data & Informatics team, his work is critical to how PCC supports programs, strengthens services, and helps Montgomery County residents get connected to care. Behind every report, dashboard, dataset, and system improvement is a larger purpose: helping PCC staff and partners make informed decisions that ultimately benefit the people PCC serves.

Turning Numbers Into Insight

PCC has always taken a big-picture view of health—recognizing that each program, partnership, and operational choice has an impact on the broader community. Eshetu brings that same perspective to data. To him, statistics are not cold or abstract. They are clues that can help reveal what is working, what needs attention, and where PCC can make the greatest difference.

Much of Eshetu’s work involves helping program managers understand and use data more effectively. He looks closely at datasets, refines them, and helps translate the information into insights that can support better planning and stronger solutions. In that way, his work helps transform raw numbers into something deeply practical—and deeply human.

Even as new technologies, including artificial intelligence, reshape the way organizations work with information, Eshetu remains clear-eyed about what technology can and cannot do. AI may be powerful, he notes, but it is not a substitute for human experience, judgment, or understanding.

“One of the misconceptions about AI is that it is completely autonomous—that it can run on its own and give you solutions with just a few keystrokes,” he says. “But the reality is that you still need people who know how to look at a dataset, ask the right questions, and guide the tools toward the answers you need.”

Family, Balance, and Belonging

For Eshetu,  that human-centered approach is rooted in his own life as well. Family is deeply important to him. He and his wife, a nurse, raised two children together while balancing demanding careers and responsibilities at home. Because his wife often worked long, difficult shifts caring for others, Eshetu stepped in wherever he could—picking up the children, being present, and making space for everyday moments together.

“That’s where PCC was really great to me,” he says. “When I took the job, I was told it was a family-oriented place, and I found that to be true. I was available when I needed to pick up my children and be there for them.”

Those moments mattered. They gave him the opportunity to cook with his children, play games, spend time together, and simply be Dad. They also allowed him to support his wife’s career—work that was not only important to her, but to the patients and families who depended on her care.

As an Ethiopian, Eshetu also carries with him a deep appreciation for family and community. It is one of the reasons PCC’s cultures resonates so strongly with him. He sees PCC not just as a workplace, but as an extension of a larger family, one built on openness, respect, transparency, and shared purpose.

“I love the fact that we are open with each other and transparent,” he says. “We respect each other across departments, and we keep the mission in mind.”

The Mission Behind the Screen

The next time a PCC program reaches a resident, a clinic visit helps someone feel more secure in their health, or a team uses timely information to strengthen a service, there is a good chance that careful, thoughtful work happened behind the scenes first.

For Eshetu Bogale, IT is not separate from PCC’s mission. It is one of the many ways the mission comes to life—by helping people see the story in the data, understand the needs of the community, and turn insight into action.