The Future of Cities
How can the seamless user experience of, for example, shopping on Zappos and Amazon, be applied to city government? What aspects of city government constrain the adaptation of digital technologies?
About the Dinner
Join us on April 6th to hear from Brenna Berman, executive director of City Tech and former CIO for the City of Chicago. In conversation with the Manhattan Institute's Michael Hendrix, she will share her thoughts and expertise on how a city like Chicago can best adapt new digital technologies. Ms. Berman has spent her career studying, advising on and practicing ways that city governments can increase their efficiency through user-friendly technology.
About the Speaker
Brenna Berman serves as Executive Director of City Tech. Prior to joining UI LABS, Brenna served in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, which she joined in 2011. She served as the Chief Information Officer for the City and Commissioner for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) from 2012 to spring of 2017. In that time, she focused on transforming the team at DoIT to provide the skills and expertise to implement the Mayor’s vision of data-driven resident services and of a more efficient, effective, and innovative City government. Prior to joining the Emanuel Administration, Brenna built a career promoting government innovation over 10 years at IBM, where she worked closely with government agencies in cities and countries across the world to leverage technology and analytics to improve the services they provide to their residents.
Brenna earned her bachelor’s degree and Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
In conversation with:
Michael Hendrix is the director of state and local policy at the Manhattan Institute, where he manages scholars, conducts research, and leads outreach. He previously served as senior director for research and emerging issues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Hendrix has written for various publications, including National Review, City Journal, National Affairs, and The Federalist. He is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland with an M.A. (Hons) in international relations and holds a certificate in strategy and performance management from Georgetown University.
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