Brian Osterloh was born and raised in Iowa, where silos serve as storage for everything from corn to soybeans to grain.
Silos also exist all over the place in different industries — especially technology. That's because unique technologies require unique expertise. But even those disparate systems — and the people who manage them — need to talk to each other. They need to connect.
That's something Osterloh kept front and center while working as the director of the City of Albuquerque's Department of Technology and Innovation, a role he's held since October 2018.
"It's not about the technology, it's not about the systems. Those are tools," Osterloh said. "We aren't an information systems group. We are using technology and innovation to support people and services."
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller appointed Osterloh as the director of the City of Albuquerque's Department of Technology and Innovation in October 2018. He's worked for the City for nearly two decades, helping spur Albuquerque Smart Communities efforts as director.
The City even earned a national award last year thanks to his department's work.
Osterloh, who received his bachelor's degree in geography and master's degree in water resources administration from the University of New Mexico, has pushed collaboration with Albuquerque organizations such as CNM Ingenuity. And he's fostered new technologies from infancy to implementation, most recently with Perspective Components Inc.'s public safety-focused smart microphone.
Now, Osterloh plans to step away from his role as director at the end of March. Albuquerque Business First recently sat down with the outgoing director as he reflected on his legacy with the City.
The interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Albuquerque Business First: Why now? Why step away this spring?
Brian Osterloh: I find myself looking back and getting [a] greater charge — as it were — from things we've done than I do excitement about the things that are to come. I've been, for 19 years, looking at this through a City lens. I'm ready to look through a different lens, whatever that looks like. I could stay for another three years; the Mayor I think would be willing to have me stay for another three years. But that's not what the people of this community deserve. They deserve somebody who's looking forward and gets more charge, therefore more focus and more energy, towards what's to come. When I started realizing that I realized it's time for me to step out. I feel a huge amount of gratitude to the people of our communities, to Albuquerque, and to be true to that they deserve to have the full attention and focus and energy of the person in this role. That's why I decided it was time to go.
What does innovation mean to you? To me, what [innovation] means is looking at challenges and opportunities in a different manner. How do we bring connections to bear that might not otherwise be made? Going back to the silo and different pieces, how do we connect them, so that when we want to create the type of feed that we want, we can get the soybeans and the corn and the oats and whatever else and bring them in the correct amounts? If they're not connected, we're missing something.
If I was your successor, what advice would you give me to manage the department into the future? It's not about the technology. It's about the people and the services. It really is. If technology isn't the answer, then don't promote technology. If technology is going to assist, recognize that it has to assist, it has to support. It's about those people and services and the outcomes. I've told vendors, I've told my department, think of it this way: If it costs $2 to feed a kid in the park in the summertime, and we're going to spend $100,000 on some technology, is it worth 50,000 meals for kids in the park in the summertime to implement that technology?
Is there anything you think is in store for the future of technology and innovation within the City? You mentioned homelessness and public safety have been two focuses recently, but do you see that evolving or changing as you transition out? There will be more and more technology in both of those areas. The challenge will be to ensure that we don't leave parts of our community behind. We have to have ways that people can still interact with the City. The flip side of that is we need to also not assume that people who are homeless or people who've lost something and made a report to the police don't have that online capability. So how do we make things available at all levels? How do we help people interact with their government? The evolution I think will be more untethering. Untethering the resources, the officers, the [Albuquerque Community Safety] responders, family and community services, untethering them from a specific location but also from a specific tool, and enabling them to access more and more meaningful information while also being very cognizant of privacy and inclusion.
What's one thing that you would look back on and say that you're the proudest of over your tenure as director? I believe I'm leaving this department much more capable and willing and excited about supporting services and people and bringing advanced technology into that. I'm most proud of the shift from looking at just systems [to saying] "those are just tools." This department I believe is forward looking. It is empathetic and I believe highly effective. That's what I'm most proud of. To me the organizational part of that is much more important than any one technology component.
Is there anything else that you want to share? One is that I'm incredibly grateful to my wife and daughter. Over the years there are trips I didn't join them on, there are events I wasn't in. I suppose the most succinct way to say it is that there were moments missed and moments attended, but not enjoyed. Their support and their understanding over the years is what has allowed me to progress in my City career. I'm eternally grateful and I don't think I could ever repay them. The other piece is that the people I've worked with over the last 19-plus years have been tremendous. I know no organization is perfect; the City of Albuquerque isn't perfect. The vast majority of City employees very much want to do a great job. They want to fulfill their role in service to the public and have our community be a better place, or have an opportunity to become a better place as a result of what we've done. I could not have and would not have stayed here this long if it hadn't been for the people I got to work with and for.
