Oliver Wise, City of New Orleans, to Keynote at Data for Good Exchange (#D4GX)

Originally posted on bloomberg.com
 

Government use of data science is on the rise; 2015 marks not only the first year of the Data for Good Exchange but also the year that the US appointed its first chief data scientist. The strategic value of data is making itself known and is being well utilized by great minds in state and federal positions.

We are thrilled to welcome the Director of Performance and Accountability for New Orleans, Oliver Wise, as one of our distinguished keynote speakers.  He truly represents the best of data science use in government innovation today.

Wise has led the development of New Orleans’ first analytics and performance management program, which has contributed to dramatic productivity improvements citywide. He joined the staff of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2010, at one of the most challenging times in the city’s history. Still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, the city faced budget, staffing and IT issues across the board.

Mayor Landrieu charged Wise with leveraging data to help set goals, track performance and drive results.  He successfully brought a data-driven analytical approach to operations citywide, supporting public safety, sustainability, economic development, children and families and an open and effective government. A testament to Wise’s work, New Orleans was recognized by the International City/County Management Association in 2014 for its excellence in “superior performance management,” including performance analytics.

“Mayor Landrieu envisions New Orleans as America’s most immediate laboratory for change and demands that we use data to make government work better and smarter,” said Wise. “The Data for Good Exchange will be an excellent forum for the data science community, government officials and the NGO world to come together to figure out what we can do better and more effectively when it comes to the use of data in our daily work.”

The Data for Good Exchange will host a series of  fantastic speakers across government innovation, environment, public health and education. A full list of speakers and presenters is now available here.