KC’s first innovation officer reflects on work, city’s tech future

After more than two years of service, Ashley Hand is leaving the driver’s seat of Kansas City’s innovation efforts.

Ashley Hand

Hand, who soon will be departing as Kansas City’s chief innovation officer, was tasked with implementing innovative strategies to improve how city government can better serve Kansas Citians.

The city will be accepting applications for the position through May 8. Learn more on its details here.

A native of Hartford, Conn., Hand was the first person to hold the post and worked closely with the city, area entrepreneurs and others businesses to develop new tech solutions for Kansas City. Hand, who previously was an associate at architecture firm AECOM, will leave the civic post in late June.

Startland News caught up with the 36-year-old to share her reflections on the gig, and what’s next for her.

On the overall experience as CIO …

It was an incredible experience. It’s a really exciting time, not only in the city as a whole, but also in city government. We have great leadership with the city manager and the mayor, who are using national best practices to make Kansas City even more efficient. It’s been a privilege to be a part of this.

On her biggest accomplishments with the city …

I’m really proud of the work that went into developing a digital roadmap for the city. It was a very inclusive process across multiple departments, and it took a lot of really great people putting ideas together to make that happen and I’m very proud of that work. I think it addresses a lot of the core priorities in that space for the city.

On Kansas City’s current technological position …

It’s a great time for the city. We are doing a lot to look at how we can work more effectively to meet the needs of the tech sector, whether it’s making digital services available to support businesses or thinking differently about how we partner with local, academic institutions to create pipelines of talent. I think we’ve gone beyond the traditional mechanism to really think through how we can better support the tech industry as a city. We have leadership that asks for input throughout the process and I think that’s been extremely productive to shift government with how our community is shifting.

On key lessons from this experience …

There are some really incredible talents in city government. We are a very lucky city to have such brilliant minds to be working on behalf of the public on a daily basis. I believe now that everyone should consider if not a career in the public sector, certainly a tour of duty to give back to the community. It’s a really special way to understand how your city works and instill even greater pride in what’s happening in the environment around you.

What she hopes to see in the next CIO …

It takes some creativity. There are a lot of different nuances to the challenges that face City Hall. It takes some creative thinking  — that’s the most important part of it. That, and having a highly collaborative approach to work is also very important. It really does take many people to get things done at this scale. … I’m excited to see what the next person can do with this role.

On what’s next for her …

I don’t have plans yet. My husband got a great opportunity (in Los Angeles) that was too good to pass up, so we’re selling his childhood home. It’s a really bittersweet moment for us to leave Kansas City. We’re excited to see what the next step is.