The city of Seattle, Washington recently announced the appointment of Kate Garman as the Smart City Coordinator. The position involves helping oversee the city’s overarching strategy, helping departments coordinate smart city programs, and being the smart city point person for stakeholders and other partners. Garman will work across city departments to make sure all current smart city initiatives are following best practices and coordinating with one another while following city rules and regulations.
“Seattle strives to become a smarter city, responsibly use new technologies and data to improve our community’s quality of life. This means bringing together stakeholders from across the city to understand when these technologies can provide value, and to facilitate deployment in a manner trusted by our community,” said chief technology officer Michael Mattmiller. “We are excited to have a proven leader like Kate help us advance our efforts in this space.”
Ms. Garman was formerly the innovation analyst for Mayor Sly James in Kansas City, Missouri where she served as the legal and policy analyst of the Office of Innovation. She also managed the Innovation Partnership Program – a civic entrepreneurship program that helps pilot technology solutions at City Hall. She has a journalism degree from the University of Kansas and a law degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law.
“I’m really excited to bring my experience and knowledge from my work in Kansas City to the Smart City Coordinator position in Seattle,” said Garman. “This work will be important in the future innovation of Seattle, and I look forward to working together with city departments and connecting with the community as we move forward.”
