IAC members will bring significant talent and resources to the table to create innovative solutions for issues including homelessness, housing, and transportation
Seattle (September 19) – Ahead of their first meeting, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced the membership of the City’s first ever Innovation Advisory Council. In addition to the initial commitments made by Amazon, Artefact Group, Expedia Group, Flying Fish, Microsoft, Tableau, Technology Access Foundation, Washington Technology Industry Association, and Zillow Group, Mayor Durkan’s Innovation Advisory Council is now being joined by technology leaders from F5, Facebook, Twitter, Loftium, and the University of Washington.
“Seattle is a city that has always invented the future. We are lucky to have the most innovative and forward-facing companies and workers anywhere in the world right here in our backyard to work with us in the coming months on a series of projects,” said Mayor Durkan. “Government cannot solve all our challenges, which is why we must come together towards innovative solutions within our own government as well as our region’s biggest challenges, including homelessness, affordability, and transportation. While technology alone cannot fix our most pressing issues, it must be part of the holistic solution.”
The Innovation Advisory Council will act as an advisor on issues and policies affecting the City, where data and technology solutions could be of benefit. Specifically, the IAC will focus on issue identification, policy recommendations, and project implementation of technology solutions including new data analytics, dashboards, applications, and software for the City. Members and their businesses will commit to helping deliver these technology solutions.
In August, Mayor Durkan announced the four co-chairs of the Innovation Advisory Council:
- Aman Bhutani, President for Brand Expedia Group
- Andrew Beers, Chief Technology Officer for Tableau
- Trish Millines Dziko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Technology Access Foundation
- John Rousseau, VP of Design and Strategy, Artefact
“At Expedia Group, we work together to bring the world within reach,” said Aman Bhutani, President of Brand Expedia Group. “We are excited to partner with Mayor Durkan’s Innovation Advisory Council to find new ways to connect people and services through innovation with technology.”
“Seattle has been Tableau’s home since 2004, and we are passionate about helping to tackle the complex issues facing our city and the region. As part of the Mayor’s new Innovation Advisory Council, we are proud to have the opportunity to work with the City to explore ways data and technology can help our community take on some of its toughest challenges.” Andrew Beers, Chief Technology Officer for Tableau Software.
“We here at the Technology Access Foundation are excited to be working with the City and other leaders in the technology community to address some of the most pressing issues facing Seattle today. We believe in technology as a tool for realizing social change – and we are dedicated to realizing this change at the City level to help develop technology solutions that will address issues including homelessness, traffic and Seattle’s affordability crisis.” Trish Millines Dziko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Technology Access Foundation.
“At Artefact, design is our craft but shaping the future for the better is our calling. We’re excited to help our city create that future, exploring with our IAC colleagues where data and technology solutions can accelerate Mayor Durkan’s vision for a more connected, equitable Seattle” said co-chair John Rousseau, VP of Design and Strategy at Artefact Group.
The full list of Innovation Advisory Council Members is below:
- Co-Chair Aman Bhutani, Expedia
- Co-Chair Andrew Beers, Tableau
- Co-Chair Trish Millines Dziko, Technology Access Foundation
- Co-Chair John Rousseau, Artefact
- Tim Halladay, Amazon
- Amy Wales, Artefact
- Aravind Swaminathan, Cybersecurity Expert
- Steve McChesney, F5
- Heather Redman, Flying Fish
- Yifan Zhang, Loftium
- Laura Baga, Microsoft
- Brian Kahrs, Twitter
- Anind Dey, University of Washington
- Vikram Jandhyala, University of Washington
- Michael Schutzler, Washington Technology Industry Association
- Graham Pruss, WeCount
- Jonathan Sposato, WeCount
- Rebekah Bastian, Zillow
In addition, Facebook has committed an individual to join the IAC. The Innovation Advisory Council will continue to grow and expand as new members are added. The first meeting of the Innovation Advisory Council will be held on September 20th.
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