Special Representative for Global Partnerships Dorothy McAuliffe
traveled to Miami, Florida, September 14-15, 2022, to participate in the Smart City EXPO USA event. She joined activities related to building smart, equitable, and sustainable 21st century cities, which included plenary sessions, stakeholder roundtables, expert panels, networking sessions, commercial engagements, and other public outreach activities. As part of her objectives for the trip, Special Representative McAuliffe addressed a range of priorities that local communities across the United States and the world share, such as climate change and pollution. She also engaged mayors on how their cities could get involved in her office's Connecting Climate Entrepreneurs (CCE) initiative, which connects entrepreneurs with industry mentors and partnership opportunities to refine their designs, access markets, and deploy effective technologies to drive green growth.
Special Representative McAuliffe participated in a fireside chat entitled, "Public Private Partnerships to Build Inclusive 21st Century Cities," alongside Mayors Tishaura Jones (St. Louis, MO) and Kate Gallego (Phoenix, AZ). Mayor Hardie Davis (Augusta, GA), who also served as Chairman of Smart City EXPO USA, moderated this chat.
Special Representative McAuliffe, alongside Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina, and Director for Intergovernmental Affairs Daniel Ricchetti, also held productive meetings with Mayors Justin Bibb (Cleveland, OH), Tishaura Jones (St. Louis, MO), Frank Scott, Jr. (Little Rock, AR), Steven Reed (Montgomery, AL), and Michael Hancock (Denver, CO). The discussions included exploration of opportunities for public-private partnerships as well as the extension of invitations for the mayors to attend the upcoming 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver.
The trip was part of the Department's continued effort to facilitate connections between the nation's most innovative government, tech, equity, and infrastructure leaders who are redefining "smart" cities.
