Mayor Brandon M. Scott has named Dartanion Swift-Williams as the new Chief Data and Performance Officer for the city, a decision that reflects the city's commitment to innovation and efficiency. According to the mayor's office press release, Swift-Williams is charged with leading the Office of Performance and Innovation, tasked with revamping Baltimore's data management programs.
The Mayor expressed his confidence in Swift-Williams, citing his diverse background in tech, academia, and local government as key factors for the appointment, in a city striving to evolve its public service offerings, "Dartanion is a top tier data executive that will leverage his experience in big-tech, academia, and local government to transform how the city of Baltimore uses data to modernize government operations and deliver critical city services," Mayor Scott stated, as detailed in the press release. Swift-Williams' past roles involved pushing the envelope in data and platform innovation at a biosecurity startup, at Meta, and within a scientific nonprofit linked to the pulse of the rapidly advancing tech scene.
Swift-Williams, whose career is rooted in public service for over a decade, will bring a fresh perspective from his substantial tenure in local government; he previously spearheaded data initiatives in Washington DC, optimizing key services ranging from business licensing to emergency medical response times. He is quoted as saying, "Public service is my true passion," and he looks forward to infusing the rigors of tech-industry standards into the guild of civic administration in Baltimore, remarking on his excitement to "collaborate with city leaders to infuse an entrepreneurial spirit and bring the rigor of big-tech product and engineering into Baltimore City", as reported by the mayor's office.
A Master of Business Administration holder from Howard University, Swift-Williams officially stepped into his new role on August 19, as per the city's announcement.
