This week Carlsbad welcomes our first chief innovation officer. You can meet David Graham and personally welcome him to Carlsbad Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 9 to 10 a.m., at Faraday in the back lobby by 173A, during an informal meet and greet with staff.
David's move to Carlsbad is already generating buzz not just around the region but around the world, literally. That's because David has built a reputation for being a passionate advocate for smart cities that spans continents. In fact, prior to landing in Carlsbad he took a "quick trip" to South Korea, where he met with leaders of Hyundai Motor Corp. about the future of autonomous and sustainable cars. Next week he's off to an innovation summit in Dublin, Ireland.
Don't worry, he'll be sticking around Carlsbad after that, meeting with staff from all departments to learn about our operations and opportunities for collaboration. Here's a link to more information about the chief innovation officer position, and here are links to some of the coverage David's move to Carlsbad has already generated. (Remember, if you're using Internet Explorer, you'll need to copy these links into your address bar.)
https://cities-today.com/david-graham-takes-up-new-role-in-carlsbad/
https://www.kusi.com/city-of-carlsbad-hires-their-first-chief-innovation-officer/
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-innovation-officer-20181029-story.html
What You Really Want to Know
Enough about David's reputation as a smart cities innovator, here's what we know about David, the person:
Before coming to Carlsbad, David worked in the City of San Diego, and before that the County of San Diego.
David is married and has two adorable little boys.
He lives in Point Loma (it's officially a trend, with City Manager Scott Chadwick and Community & Economic Development Director Debbie Fountain also residing there).
In his spare time, he is a competitive chef.
David originally wanted to work as a journalist.
