{"id":656872,"date":"2024-04-02T19:59:16","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T02:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=656872"},"modified":"2024-03-27T14:07:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T21:07:56","slug":"a-visionary-cto-leaves-a-legacy-of-collaboration-equity-in-tacoma-washington","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/a-visionary-cto-leaves-a-legacy-of-collaboration-equity-in-tacoma-washington","title":{"rendered":"A Visionary CTO Leaves a Legacy of Collaboration, Equity in Tacoma, Washington"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[461441,10372,476112],"tags":[398352,164992,192782,460171,631],"arcnews_issues":[488602],"class_list":["post-656872","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-equity-social-justice","category-gis-hero","category-urban-planning","tag-arcgis-urban","tag-city-government","tag-data-analysis","tag-racial-equity","tag-smart-city","arcnews_issues-spring-2024","arcnews_sections-news"],"acf":{"short_description":"In Tacoma, Washington, the city\u2019s chief technology officer led her team to create a GIS-powered equity map that helps guide city decisions.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Grace Brosnon, chief technology officer of Tacoma, Washington, isn\u2019t interested in technology for technology\u2019s sake. That was why, years after developing her IT expertise, she dived into GIS and was instrumental in growing a prototype equity index into a sustainable and integrated GIS product."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":656922,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Powered by GIS, Tacoma\u2019s Equity Index Map<\/a> is used to help make equitable decisions regarding asset management, budget proposals, new policies, department goals, and racial equity action plans for the city\u2019s 18 lines of business.\r\n\r\n\u201cFor me, it\u2019s about understanding how I can use technology to help do something,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes the technology is very simple. Sometimes it can be more complicated, like GIS or SAP. But it\u2019s the outcomes that I\u2019m interested in, more so than the technology itself.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Collaboration in Pursuit of Equity<\/h2>\r\nTo support the city\u2019s Vision 2025 initiative, the Equity Index Map was developed. The ArcGIS technology-enabled equity index started as a proof of concept and is now integral to the city\u2019s strategic planning goals and data analysis.\r\n\r\nBrosnon credited her team and several others for the city\u2019s effective use of ArcGIS, noting that the knowledge and creativity of the city\u2019s GIS analysts led to the platform that allowed her and others to expand and promote the equity index.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt really takes a whole team and the business all around it to be able to do something like the equity index, and for us, that\u2019s how we ended up having, in my mind, one of the greatest things that I\u2019ve done in my career,\u201d said Brosnon.\r\n\r\nIntegral to that team was Tacoma\u2019s GIS division, led by James Osundwa. The timing was optimal, he said, noting that the years spent building the tool aligned with the city\u2019s racial equality goals.\r\n\r\nBrosnon agreed, adding, \u201cHaving that history with the tools and the capabilities is great, but what we did with the equity index really began by having clear business goals we wanted to achieve and assembling those with the passion to see it through.\u201d\r\n\r\nTo build the original index as a one-off analysis, Tacoma\u2019s Office of Equity and Human Rights partnered with the Kirwan Institute for a study on race and ethnicity at Ohio State University. City leadership and GIS analysts have kept the index going for the past five years, enhancing it with geographic representation, more equity measures, updated census data, and other data, for the benefit of community members, customers, and business owners.\r\n\r\nThe index was recognized at the 2023 Esri User Conference with a Special Achievement in GIS Award. Osundwa has since developed a strategic plan to enhance the city\u2019s assets and view these investments through an equity lens. He also hopes to advance and expand the city\u2019s GIS programs. He wants to implement self-service options that will allow for a greater number of GIS users in the city in the future."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

How Tacoma\u2019s Equity Index Works<\/h2>\r\nThe equity index scores 153 census block groups in Tacoma by 32 different indicators sorted into five categories\u2014accessibility, livability, education, economy, and environmental health\u2014to show the disparities in residents\u2019 access to services and opportunities. It\u2019s used for everything from equitably distributing small business loans to making utility upgrades to planning affordable housing."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":656932,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cThe index has definitely grown collaboration, not just within the city but with different municipalities in the region asking us for advice on how to do something similar,\u201d Osundwa said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

A Career of Connection<\/h2>\r\nThroughout her 25-year career, Brosnon has advocated using technology to connect business needs and people. Her interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics began during her time as an electrical engineering student at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, and was further fueled by an internship that prompted her shift toward technology consulting.\r\n\r\nHer early career was driven by her passions for travel, technology, and working with people. During this time, she held multiple positions where she implemented software systems internationally and eventually ran her own consulting company. \u201cSeeing technology [as] having a specific purpose and goal, rather than just being a product, has always been a source of inspiration for me and why IT was a good fit for me as a career,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nIn 2000, Brosnon took a sabbatical to spend more time with her growing family. \u201cI was lucky that I financially could take that time,\u201d she said, \u201cAs long as you\u2019re dedicated and passionate about your career, you can always find your way back to it.\u201d\r\n\r\nAs her sabbatical drew to a close, Brosnon explored different career options that would allow her to balance having school-age children and work. This led her to a remote position, working in IT for a private technology company. However, Brosnon wanted a job where she could assist and engage with others in person and have more opportunities to serve the community. This led to her work for the City of Tacoma, where she has been employed for the last decade. She plans to retire in May."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Finding Strategic Opportunities to Help People<\/h2>\r\nAs the city\u2019s CTO, Brosnon said, she takes on many roles depending on the city\u2019s needs. \u201cSometimes I\u2019m trying to negotiate big contracts and ensure fiscally and technically responsible road maps that align with business strategies like other CTOs do,\u201d she said. \u201cOther times, it\u2019s that \u2018other-duties-as-assigned\u2019 bucket that gets quite large but is most rewarding, like sponsoring the Asian\/Pacific Islander affinity group or helping college students with their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s.\u201d\r\n\r\nAccording to Osundwa, \u201cOne of the things I think Grace does so well as a leader is focusing on people and engaging with them at a personal level, optimizing their strengths and motivations so we deliver excellence in our work for the city. Grace is passionate and tenacious about our work, particularly in finding strategic opportunities, like where we can integrate better or improve processes to outlive us when we\u2019re gone and make an impact. It\u2019s been a fun and intense journey to work with her on high-impact and high-value projects for the city.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhether helping a department set goals and enhance operations via technology, creating internal presentations, helping new executives get acclimated, or making budget requests, Brosnon prioritizes her work through the lens of doing \u201cthe right thing for the city and community,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I can use technology to directly help people, like the equity index did, that\u2019s even better.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":"Read other articles in the GIS Heroes<\/a> series.","snippet":""}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nA Visionary CTO Leaves a Legacy of Collaboration, Equity in Tacoma, Washington | Spring 2024 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Tacoma, 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