What role does openly available, good data play in the comeback of a city? What are the ways good data can actually spread between administrations and become institutionally useful? This might sound boring at first, but it turns out to be a really interesting conversation with an interesting Detroiter.

Garlin Gilchrist II is the City of Detroit's Director of Innovation and Emerging Technology. He has an interesting backstory.

He most recently served as the National Campaign Director at MoveOn.org, where he focused on mobilizing MoveOn's seven million members on issues of civil rights, education, and technology policy advocacy through community organizing and online action. Garlin also coordinated MoveOn's 2012 election mobilization program, Voters Rising. Gilchrist also the founded Detroit Diaspora, a network for native Detroiters living elsewhere to connect with one another as well as people doing positive work in the city of Detroit.

During the 2008 Presidential Election season, Gilchrist served as the Social Media Manager for the Barack Obama campaign in Washington. In this capacity, Gilchrist used social networking and text messaging to engage more online volunteers during the final month of the campaign than any other state.