Chelsea McCullough, Strategic Advisor, SCC

Smart Cities Connect (SCC) events have been described by attendees as “homecomings” and “family reunions.” These descriptions speak to the close community of professionals who come together twice a year to share and learn about smart city projects and programs. The group is in no way insular, but instead continuously and actively seeks new “family members” who care about their communities and investigate how (and if) smart technologies can support their human-centered approaches.

We just wrapped up the Fall Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo (Nov 19-21) at National Harbor, MD with a program filled with insights from familiar folks as well as new leaders. The Day 1 keynotes kicked off with a warm welcome from Alicia Boyd, (ATI) who elegantly set the tone for the conference and then introduced Dr. Chris Rodriguez, the Assistant City Administrator from the District of Columbia. Then there were two big announcements from long-time partners Lee Davenport and Jonathan Beam (US Ignite) about the launch of The Connection Lab, an innovative new program that seeks to support collaboration between cities, startups, and solution providers and Jackie Lu (Helpful Places) about the launch of an NSF-funded open-source program and multi-stakeholder model for AI and data transparency. Next, two important panels discussed key topics for smart city practitioners. Long-time SCC partner and smart cities expert Ruthbea Yesner (IDC) led a discussion on Tactics for AI-Readiness joined by Bob Ritchie (SAIC), Charisse Snipes (City of Hartford), and Chris Masters (City of Corona) who gave great insights on how to lead with what people want and need, as opposed to the technology guiding deployments. Finally, smart city leaders debated how to align people, policy and procurement on a panel moderated by Joyce Deuley (Team b. Strategy +), Dr. Jason Cooley (City of Allen), Jake Taylor (The Connective), Robb Reid (Sourcewell) and Brittany Westling (Team b. Strategy +). The group discussed how working with and across departments and sectors is the key to moving innovation projects forward. Collaboration was (and always is) a popular topic of exploration at SCC. Robb Reid (Sourcewell), Crosby Grindle (Cooperative Services), Gerardo Mateo (Glass), and Bolu Oluwasuji (City of Baltimore) offered insights on how working to understand common goals supports new approaches to city services. Finally, the keynotes welcomed a new perspective on collaboration with Luis Cardona (State of Maryland) who described his inspiring approach to economic development that honors every business (including small and minority-owned firms) as important contributors to state and local economies. The morning gave attendees a wealth of information, motivation, and encouragement to move forward with smart city projects that engage communities in positively impacting local issues.

The Day 2 keynotes followed similar themes focused on procurement, scaling smart city projects, cross-sector collaborations, moving through problem areas, and how to invite resilience and reinvention during challenging times. Devine Carama, an amazing creator and community advocate, excited the crowd and moderated the series of panel discussions. Jamison Morgan (Carrot) and Brian Knudsen (City of Las Vegas) offered new insights on how innovation platforms can transform city sectors and excite economic development opportunities. Next, the unforgettable Bob Bennett (Cities Today) focused a discussion with esteemed smart city leaders Jen Sanders (NTXIA, DIA), Chris Media (nureal.ai), and Brandon Branham (Juganu). They shared their decade+ experience of scaling pilots to high-impact community projects. Next, Maria Gotsch (The Partnership Fund for New York City) shared her impressive and ground-breaking approach to grow and fund projects at the intersection of urban challenges and industry solutions. Nina Idemudia (CNT) then inspired the room with clear directives on how to integrate data and technology to address the city’s most pressing “wicked” problems. Her work, centered in Chicago and evident across the country, represents a new wave of equitable urban solutions. Finally, Rudy Manning (pastilla) expanded the conversation with Nina and welcomed Mayor Troy Lilly (Forest Heights, MD), and Chris McMasters (City of Corona) to discuss how to navigate the “uncertain times” we are all in with integrity and care while always seeking ways to use innovation to support all communities, including the most vulnerable. 

Amongst these incredible keynote sessions were amazing break-out sessions led by expert smart city leaders across the public and private sectors. We are so grateful to everyone who attended and shared their stories, their worries, their solutions, and their questions with us. These certainly are unprecedented, uncertain times that are opportunities for communities to come together, to support and learn from each other, and to welcome new faces, voices, and perspectives. 

We hope that you will join us for the next Smart Cities Connect which will take place very soon (March 10-12) in Raleigh, NC! We source all of the discussions from the crowd so let us know what matters most to you and submit a panel! Also, feel free to get some bragging rights and enter the Smart20 Awards to showcase your communities’ top innovations. We look forward to seeing you soon and please share with those who you believe would love to benefit from this community!