Meet the City and County of Honolulu’s First Chief Data Officer: Kira Chuchom
Kira Chuchom joined the City and County of Honolulu on April 1, 2024 as its first Chief Data Officer. Hawai‘i Data Collaborative (HDC) sat down with Chuchom to discuss her background, what excites her about this new position, her experience in the role so far, and her approach and vision for making data work better for our government and community.
A Data Evangelist
A self-described data evangelist, Chuchom’s passion for data has shaped the last 25 to 30 years of her career. “I initially started in finance, but ended up in data because I realized there wasn’t enough good data to create forecasts. It made me start digging in and discovering why we didn’t have quality data, and what it would take to get it,” says Chuchom. As a natural troubleshooter and problem solver who likes to help people, Chuchom began working with organizations to help solve their data problems.
Photo credit: City and County of Honolulu
Over the years, Chuchom has worked with data from all sides and sectors. From working with large private sector firms like Cisco, Microsoft and eBay, to serving as the City of San Francisco’s MIS manager, to consulting for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veteran Employment and Training Service, Chuchom has gained a depth of experience in engaging the technological, process, and cultural sides of data. “My career has focused on managing data better to get better insights, and helping people use data in ways that they may not have thought of before because most people don’t even realize what they have at their fingertips. I have been heading towards this role for my entire career, and am happy to be here and to be in a position that can make a difference in helping the city and county enter the modern era in being more data-driven across the board,” says Chuchom..
Getting Started
For Chuchom, part of being a problem solver is identifying the root cause of the problem. Being the first Chief Data Officer for the City and County of Honolulu gives her the opportunity to customize the role to really address what the city and county wants and needs, and apply her skills to those tasks. Chuchom says, “I like that the city came to the realization that they needed a CDO. It means they see the need and opportunity.”
Since starting in April, Chuchom has already been injected into the administration’s top priorities including homelessness; housing; planning and permitting; public safety; and human resources to streamline data collection and management. She has also met with over 100 staff members from almost all of the City’s departments and agencies, many of which intersect with state and federal agencies. By immersing herself in the people, processes, and systems through which Honolulu’s data flows, Chuchom is building an understanding of what data currently exists so she can identify gaps and needs to fill, as well as opportunities to leverage. “What are people using on a day to day basis to make decisions? Where does that data come from and where does it live? How is the data collected – systems, surveys, interviews? What systems and technology and applications are departments using? How are they communicating using the data? How does the data get into reports? Is there a lack of data? Where does the data live and how can we actually tap into it?” These are the kinds of questions Chuchom is asking on a daily basis.
Collaborating to Build Strategy and Governance
Ultimately, Chuchom is tasked with standardizing and integrating data strategy and governance across city and county government. She notes, “Although I am invested in supporting the Mayor’s priorities, my position was mandated by the City Council, so I will be creating and submitting a data governance framework to the council members.” In speaking to her approach to developing this umbrella framework, Chuchom says she is a firm believer in collaboration. “A lot of times people come in with a set plan, but I’m more about understanding root causes of problems and everyone's perspectives. When I develop a framework, I aim to take a lot of perspectives into account because people have reasons behind their ways of thinking. Understanding motivations is key to building collaborative strategy and governance. It’s not just my ideas; it’s important to bring others into decision making.”
So far, this approach seems to be working, though she also recognizes there is work to be done. “Folks are excited and there seems to be a hunger for data sharing, but each department is at its own stage of data literacy and maturity. Getting to governance across all departments requires creating a common data language and literacy so we can make sure we're all talking about the same thing.” Chuchom summarizes her approach by addressing three main aspects of data:
People: Coming up with a common language;
Process: Facilitating collaboration and streamlining sharing; and
Technology: Bringing in the right data tools to build capacity.
Chuchom emphasizes that all three are important, and all three take time and tending. She likens managing data to raising a child – “You need to nurture a child through all her growth processes. If you birth a child, or data, and don’t take care of it, it won’t grow or thrive. Nurturing and working with data is an ongoing process. It’s my job to mentor and show people how to tend to their data so they can develop insights and make the best decisions from it.”
