On this episode of The Data Storytellers podcast, we discuss how the City of Virginia Beach is leveraging data to address issues like sea level rise and improve transparency for residents. We hear from Bojan Duric, Chief Data Officer of Virginia Beach, about his journey transforming the organization into a data-driven culture through initiatives in open data, performance metrics, and empowering employees. The conversation highlights both the challenges and opportunities of driving change through data in local government, emphasizing relationship-building, communication, and developing a shared understanding of how to maximize value for stakeholders.

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00:08 - Intro

04:19 - Leveraging data in a big company

06:44 - Creating DDC in government

10:21 - Best practice in storytelling for stakeholders to government

19:01 - The data "character"

24:06 - Data owners and data ownership

28:23 - Defining data drivenness

30:44 - State of data and governments

34:48 - Leadership qualities

41:14 - Change aversion and 'go to market'

48:42 - Investment in the CDO role

50:55 - Biggest opportunity of City of Virginia Beach

53:59 - Advice and closing