Seattle is taking its smart cities work to the next level. On Thursday, the city announced it was hiring Kate Garman to run the smart city program. The role will also oversee the development of Seattle’s Array of Things.
“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 in a statement on Garman’s appointment.
Garman previously worked as the Innovation Policy Advisor for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. In the role, she served as the legal and policy analyst of the Office of Innovation which included drafting ordinances and policy recommendations to foster a culture of innovation in Kansas City.
As the Smart City Coordinator, Garman will collaborate with staff across departments to develop a strategy that ensures the Seattle’s smart city projects are running smoothly and efficiently. The city says that part of the long-term strategy will be to have data from the smart city program flowing through the open data portal.
The Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle City Light, and Seattle Public Utilities all have plans underway to implement smart city programs in the coming years, which will expand the remit of Garman’s role.
Garman starts with the City of Seattle on Wednesday, July 26.
