Sree Sreenivasan, New York?s new Chief Digital Officer, believes better digital storytelling can spur civic engagement In a year that?s been filled with some unpredicted lessons on social media and civil engagement, the idea that we can humanize government and improve citizen involvement through digital communication may seem utopian. Sree Sreenivasan, a pioneering digital strategist who was recently named New York City?s Chief Digital Officer, thinks it?s actually the perfect way to connect millions of New Yorkers with their government.
?I think the future of all business is storytelling, and everyone needs to be doing more of that,? he says. ?We all have to be better at listening instead of broadcasting.?
Sreenivasan, who held similar roles at Columbia University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, joins a growing city technology staff that includes a chief technology officer, analytics officer, and chief information officer. He has been tasked with creating digital strategy and tech-related job growth for a city government with over 300,000 employees that serves 8.4 million residents. ?We want startups to be born here, built here, and thrive here,? he says. ?Part of my job is to be a front door for the entrepreneurial community. Come and work with us, we want to work with you.?

Tanya Mallot
Sree Sreenivasan

Despite the huge audiences he must reach in his new role, Sreenivasan thinks about things on a very personal level, hoping to meet a...