Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle, Washington recently announced the formation of the city’s first Innovation Advisory Council (IAC) to advise on improving city operations with data and technology – particularly in the areas of affordability and helping the homeless.
The council will be co-chaired by representatives from a number of Washington-based tech companies including Aman Bhutani, President for Brand Expedia Group; Andrew Beers, Chief Technology Officer for Tableau; Trish Millines Dziko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Technology Access Foundation; and Tonya Peck, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Artefact Group. It will also be staffed by officials from a number of different fields, including engineering, mobility, data analytics and software development. The executive order also prioritizes participation of underrepresented businesses and community members.
“Seattle is a city that has always invented the future. Working together, we have to seize the opportunity to address our shared challenges in new and innovative ways,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan in a statement. “We’re a city that knows we have challenges, but we’re also a city that has companies, great companies … and their employees who want to help meet those challenges.
“This new collaboration with Seattle’s technology community will help us surface the data, know where the gaps are, look for technology solutions that can make us a more equitable and vibrant city,” Durkan added. “And we really want to make sure that this technology and data is harnessed in a way that increases equity, rather than hardening inequity.”
The group’s first meeting is expected to be no later than September 21 of this year.
