City of Glendale, CA
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Chief Innovation Officer
As Chief Innovation Officer, Elena is responsible for translating the City’s strategic goals into specific action, driving change by assembling cross-departmental teams to complete priority initiatives and developing the City’s performance strategy. Elena joined the City of Glendale in 1993 as a youth worker through the Glendale Youth Alliance. Over the past 30 years, she has held progressively responsible roles such as Community Outreach Assistant, Analyst, Project Manager, Deputy Director and Director. In 2017, Elena led the establishment of a new City department to improve customer service and create administrative efficiencies following a 20% reduction in staffing positions. As Director, she oversaw 3 distinct functions in the Innovation, Performance and Audit (IPA) Department. The Innovation function applied entrepreneurial thinking to help the City work smarter. The Performance function used data to make informed decisions and measure success. And, the Audit function reviewed operations to discover opportunities for improvement. Due to the success of the IPA Department, Elena was tasked by the City Manager to amplify the City’s innovation work as Chief Innovation Officer, a role she assumed in June 2021. Elena received her BA in Political Science from UCLA, followed by her Master’s in Public Administration from CSU Northridge. Elena is very passionate about public sector innovation and aims to inspire other government employees through writing, lecturing and serving on panels. In her spare time, she enjoys reading about neuroscience and watching Shark Tank. |
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Greg Kajszo Innovation Project ManagerGreg leads the City’s innovation and performance efforts by acting as a one-stop-shop for project assessment and implementation. He joined the City of Glendale in 2016 with over six years of experience in the private consulting industry, where he worked as a deputized project manager for multiple high-profile energy and transportation infrastructure clients. Greg received his BS in Marine Biology from CSU Long Beach and Master’s degrees in both Public Administration and Master of Planning from USC. In his free time, Greg likes to bake desserts and make unique flavors of homemade ice cream. Social Media |
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Talin Aivazian Innovation InternTalin is passionate about civic innovation. She contributes to the Office of Innovation & Performance by applying her skills in user centered design, research, and data analysis. Before coming to the Office of Innovation & Performance, Talin received training on human centered design from Glendale Community College. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Entrepreneurship from Cal State Northridge. In her leisure time, Talin enjoys hiking, watching Ted Talks, spending time with family, playing volleyball, and serving as the Chair of Clubs and Organizations at CSUN. |
Glendale Lean Six Sigma TeamIn partnership with the Glendale Community College, this team of LSS trained staff use data to improve processes at City Hall.
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Bloomberg Innovation TeamThe City of Glendale was selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies to receive innovation training to develop solutions for organics recycling and food recovery programs at City Hall.
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Innovation Network
Some of the organizations in our innovation network:
West Coast Innovation Convening
The West Coast Innovation Convening is a meeting of cities who gather regularly to share lessons learned in the civic innovation space. Participating cities include:
- Glendale, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Los Angeles County, CA
- Ontario, CA
- Pasadena, CA
- Redlands, CA
- Riverside, CA
- City and County of San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Seattle, WA
- West Hollywood, CA
Office of Innovation & Performance AlumniThose who have contributed greatly to our legacy: MICHELLE PRIEST Michelle served as an Innovation Advisor to the Office of Innovation & Performance while completing a PhD in Policy Analysis. She employed her skills in design research, technology, and public sector communications experience to help address civic challenges up until March 2022. ALINA ASMARIAN Alina was a Master of Arts in Humanities student who served as an Innovation Intern with the Office of Innovation & Performance until September 2021. She contributed to the development of several new programs to serve Glendale City residents. SAM ANGLES Sam was an Innovation & Performance Analyst with the Office of Innovation & Performance from its start in 2017 until 2019. He helped examine departmental performance data to monitor the success of innovation projects and the overall City. NICOLE BARBARINO Nicole was a Storyteller Intern with the Office of Innovation & Performance in 2019. She worked to translate data and internal processes into meaningful narratives. SHUYI TAO Shuyi was a Data Forecaster intern with the Office of Innovation & Performance in 2019. She worked to analyze and visualize data to help the City make better decisions. YIJING LIU Yijing was a Master of Public Policy student who joined the Office of Innovation & Performance as part of the USC Price School of Public Policy’s annual Spring Externship Program, followed by a formal internship with the City. She helped execute several critical projects during her tenure. GIOVANNI ZAAROUR Giovanni was a Clark Magnet High School and Glendale Community College student who join the Office of Innovation and Performance after being on the winning team of Glendale Tech Week's 2018 Hackathon. He helped improve digital services as part of the Library Information Technology Services (LITS) team at the City's Department of Library, Arts, and Culture. |
Innovation & Performance Reports
Check out some of our weekly reports highlighting our recent work and project updates in City Hall.