Mayor Todd Gloria Wednesday appointed San Diego native Kirby Brady as the city's first chief innovation officer.
Brady, who is Black, is one of the few women or people of color to be named CIO of a major American city, according to Gloria, who has pledged to diversify the city's leadership.
"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 neighborhood," Gloria said.
Brady has been the director of the city's Performance and Analytics Department for the past year and will continue to lead the department in her new role.
"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 said. "Over the past year, I've seen firsthand the innovative spirit of so many of our city employees and welcome the opportunity to serve them so they can better serve the public."
Gloria recently shifted the Performance and Analytics Department to report directly to the mayor's office and created the CIO role to support his efforts to use data to solve problems and develop solutions intended to promote equity and economic prosperity.
In her new role, Brady will also be responsible for "creating and promoting a culture of innovation among the city workforce." According to Gloria, she and her team are tasked with fostering a workplace 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.
Prior to working for the city, Brady spent four years working for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, where she oversaw the research efforts of the organization. Her team's work focused on analyzing local economic trends -- including quantifying the economic activity of regional industries and evaluating policy impacts.
Brady also spent seven years working for the San Diego Association of Governments, where she managed the long-range population and housing forecast program for the region.
Brady earned a bachelor's degree in regional development from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California.
