On the evening of March 3, the Kroc School kicked off its first Women for Social Impact Experience of 2021 virtually. Kirby Brady, San Diego’s first Chief Innovation Officer, was the featured speaker. 

Our inspiring host Linda Katz, C-Founder of Women Give San Diego, kicked off the evening masterfully, welcoming and connecting us in a way that only she can do. We heard from different participants how much they loved the networking session that followed Linda’s unique welcome. The attendees divided into breakout groups to answer the following questions:

• What do you hope changes in your community in the next few years?
• What do you hope is different in your community in five years?

The smaller breakout rooms gave us the opportunity to share the hopes we have for our community now and in the future. There were many hopes discussed, including those involving greater racial justice, the environment, homelessness and housing, modernizing our justice system, access to education and technology, public transportation, and equality for women. 

After we warmed up discussing the changes we want to see in our community, the conversation with Kirby Brady began. She is knowledgeable and extremely articulate; impressive and humble. Brady shared how San Diego is prioritizing innovation, data analytics and diversity over bureaucracy. Her team is responsible for organizing data for City of San Diego and making it universally accessible and helpful to all users. Beyond that, her ideas for changemaking innovation range from a San Diego hyperloop to designing 15-minute cities to an Innovation Lab at City Hall. Her ideas left us awed and inspired. And we want to be engaged to support Brady in her vision for equitable services and opportunities in San Diego. Her combination of immediate action with a 50-year long-term view was refreshing: be bold and creative now to build a really good future not only for us, but for those who will be here after us. It was a special night for all. 

The evening provided a feeling of hope for a bright future in San Diego. It was refreshing to meet a high-energy woman with a big dream: the City of San Diego in 2070!

You can view the full discussion with Kirby Brady in the video player below: