“How is it possible that the NSA can track my every move and listen to every phone conversation I have, yet we still have to wait in line at the DMV, and government agencies just 100 miles from Silicon Valley can’t get important IT projects done?”
Will Semmes, Associate Chairman of the California College of the Arts’ Design MBA program, founder of Bellwether Partners and former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of General Services, posed this question a mere two weeks after California scored a grade of “F” on the U.S. PIRG’s Following the Money 2015. The report, which analyzes and rank orders states on their efforts to publicize financial information, highlights just how far California lags behind other states in regards to government transparency.
So, what will it take for California to catch up?
Despite hefty institutional hurdles, Semmes recognizes an emerging trend to change the status quo. Citing the recent leap in technological innovation over the last decade – including the emergence of services from iPhones to Uber – he identifies a movement based on a “newfound willingness to look at old problems in new and creative ways.”
Harnessing the power of this revolution, Semmes has been instrumental in constructing a new program to train future political leaders. The MBA in Civic Innovation at the CCA in San Francisco specializes in “teaching students what they need to know to lead the civic innovation revolution both inside and outside government,” and strives to match thriving private sector practices and innovation with struggling government departments.
In the end, as Semmes point out, "The success of this revolution in California... will depend upon a new generation of people who are trained, willing and able to bring change to even the most sclerotic of bureaucracies."
To read Will Semmes’ full op-ed, click here.