Durango City Manger José Madrigal is heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August for Harvard University’s Public Sector Executive Summit where city officials from around the country will gather to share strategies about innovation and transformation.
The event is invite-only and will host 20 to 40 executives or city leaders at Harvard’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, Madrigal said. They will speak to economic and social sustainability, how to increase public engagement and how technology can help cities innovate their services.
“It’s an ability for us to meet with other cities and really hear case studies and get best practices from each other,” he said.
Madrigal said he was nominated to attend the summit because of the strategic initiatives Durango has undertaken with help from Madrigal’s Lean Six Sigma (process improvement) programs, as well as his background in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner.
“It’s absolutely an honor to be able to showcase that (to) some of the best in the country,” he said.
Madrigal said Durango’s strategic plan – which outlines the city’s short- and mid-term objectives, guides budgeting and serves as a check for city projects, programs and successes – is a useful benchmark to gauge the city’s progress.
“We’re transforming from a municipal environment that was really good at taking tasks and checking the box – which is really good to do – but (the city is) getting more of an understanding of why we’re doing what we’re doing and what the data is telling us,” he said.
The strategic plan helps the city determine if it’s hitting the mark with its services and solutions to problems.
He said he looks forward to bringing good ideas back to Durango after the summit and to share some of Durango’s work while he is there.
Madrigal also invited Devon Schmidt, strategic plan and budget officer for the city, to attend the summit.
“They did ask for myself to nominate a future up-and-comer in our organization to attend,” he said.
He said Schmidt has done an “amazing job” with the city’s budget and strategic plan.
The Public Sector Executive Summit is scheduled for Aug. 14-16.
cburney@durangoherald.com
