The City of Oklahoma City is taking significant strides to modernize and enhance its municipal operations by establishing its Office of Innovation. This initiative, driven by Mayor Holt’s vision for a more efficient and forward-thinking city government, is fostering cross-departmental collaboration and a relentless pursuit of innovation. Recognizing the necessity for a dedicated team focused on continuous improvement and technological advancements, the Office of Innovation was created with the support of the City Manager and has become a vital component in the city’s efforts to serve its residents better.
“The office of innovation for the city of Oklahoma City is about empowering and even challenging people to think differently about their processes, their problems and about how to approach what they do every day,” said Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Kelly Williams.
Since its inception, the Office of Innovation has been exploring new ideas and implementing solutions that push the boundaries of traditional local government operations. Williams, the city’s first Chief Innovation Officer, is tasked with identifying areas of opportunity within the city’s services and developing creative, data-driven solutions. With a background in quantitative psychology and a wealth of experience in leadership roles, she brings a unique perspective to her role, ensuring that innovation is encouraged and deeply integrated into the fabric of Oklahoma City’s operations.
“People assume we’re just doing things the same old way that we always have,” Williams said. “But we come in and talk with [people] about what they’re working on, what their problems are, and help them find different ways of going about that process. The goal is always to be more efficient, more effective, or to have a better job quality in the way that you do things.”
One of the ways Williams accomplishes this is through process mapping, which helps people visualize the steps, activities and decisions involved in an organization’s workflow to gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of how a process works, identify inefficiencies or bottlenecks,and find opportunities for improvement. Organizations can streamline operations, enhance communication, ensure consistency and improve efficiency by visualizing the process.
The Office of Innovation has also has been strengthened by the addition of Bailey Siber, a Harvard Kennedy School graduate and Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow, who serves as Senior Program Manager.
“We just want stuff to work,” Siber said.
Siber’s expertise in technology and civic innovation has already made a significant difference, mainly through her efforts to educate city staff on the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance workflow efficiency. Her work underscores the Office of Innovation’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to improve city services and create a more responsive and effective government.
“In this world of AI and generative AI, there’s a lot of different kinds of frameworks to think about,” Siber said. “A simple one is at the individual level where people are looking to improve their day-to-day work. Then there are systems at the department level. Then, there is a city-wide investment in creating services that are AI-enhanced or have some kind of AI technology embedded in them. The training has been mainly focused on individual use so far, but also giving [people] some awareness to those higher-level tiers.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the work landscape by automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making processes and enabling new ways of working. AI-driven tools are streamlining operations across various industries, from customer service chatbots to predictive analytics in finance. This technology increases efficiency and productivity and creates opportunities for innovation and new job roles centered around AI development, management and ethics. As AI continues to evolve, it is reshaping the skills required in the workforce, emphasizing the need for adaptability, continuous learning and the ability to work alongside advanced technologies.
“We want to support and encourage people to use all the tools in the toolkit,” Siber said. “But let’s put some guardrails and parameters around this so we understand the risks and the benefits and where it’s appropriate to lean on some of these tools.”
As the Office of Innovation continues to evolve, its mission remains clear—to create a culture of resident delight and innovative, people-centered solutions. By connecting residents and city staff, the office is poised to transform how Oklahoma City operates, ensuring that it remains a vibrant, forward-looking community for years to come.
“We want to emphasize we do is very collaborative,” Williams said. “We lean on the expertise of our colleagues, who are wonderful people and very good at what they do. They just need a little bit of help to make their process better and make what they do more impactful. And so, that’s why we’re here.”
