San Diego appoints first Chief Innovation Officer

San Diego’s new Mayor, Todd Gloria, has appointed Kirby Brady as the city’s first Chief Innovation Officer (CIO).

Brady has been the director of San Diego’s Performance and Analytics Department for the past year and will continue to lead the department in her new role.

Mayor Gloria, who was sworn in last month, has shifted the Performance and Analytics Department to report directly to the Mayor’s office and created the CIO role to help the administration better use data to solve complex problems and develop solutions that promote equity, economic prosperity and resilience.

In her new role, Brady will also be responsible for “creating and promoting a culture of innovation among the city workforce…where employees are empowered to take smart risks, think outside the box and become change agents for their departments and the city as a whole”.

“I couldn’t be prouder to have Kirby Brady as San Diego’s first Chief Innovation Officer,” Mayor Gloria said. “Kirby’s unique experiences coupled with her creativity, drive and passion for civic innovation are going to help our city harness the data and technology we need to stretch taxpayer dollars while providing world-class service for people in every neighbourhood.”

Restructure

The creation of the CIO role was announced in December as part of a wider management re-organisation which Gloria says will net US$1.2 million in annual savings as well as streamlining city operations and promoting diversity in the city’s leadership. It included removing the role of Assistant Chief Operating Officer, reducing the number of Deputy Chief Operating Officers from four to three and cutting the Mayor’s Office staff budget by more than US$350,000.

Gloria says he is working to “create an administration reflective of the people it serves”.

“As a Black woman, Brady is one of the few women or people of colour to be named CIO of a major American city,” a statement from the city said.

Prior to joining the City of San Diego, Brady spent four years working for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation where she oversaw the research efforts of the organisation. Her team’s work focused on analysing local economic trends, including quantifying the economic activity of regional industries and evaluating policy impacts. Brady spent seven years working for the San Diego Association of Governments where she managed the long-range population and housing forecast programme for the region.

She holds a bachelor’s in regional development from the University of Arizona and a master’s in urban planning from the University of Southern California.

“I’m thrilled to help usher in a new era that puts data and equity at the forefront of decision-making at City Hall,” Brady commented. “Over the past year, I’ve seen first-hand the innovative spirit of so many of our city employees and welcome the opportunity to serve them so they can better serve the public.”