Jim Loter

Deputy Chief Technology Officer.
City of Seattle.

About

Jim Loter (he/his) is the Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the City of Seattle and Deputy Director of the Seattle Information Technology department. He served as Interim CTO/Director for 3 years (2021-2024).

Seattle IT's 670 staff members deliver full-stack IT services and manage IT infrastructure for over 13,000 municipal employees working throughout the City's 40 government departments.

Jim's background includes IT strategic leadership in higher education, libraries, and local government sectors. He has led programs and teams in areas such as digital equity and inclusion, telecommunications policy and regulation, web and application development, enterprise data management and governance, privacy and accessibility, and smart city and civic technology. He is also an experienced university instructor and lecturer in the subjects of IT governance and public sector management.

Jim hails from Dearborn, Michigan, and has a Master's degree in film studies from the University of Iowa. His academic work focused on Irish cinema, early American film, semiotics, and narrative theory. He enjoys running, playing chess, and fencing.

Contact Me

My Portfolio

The following are provided as examples of my writing and research work as both an academic and an IT professional. Unless otherwise noted, all works listed here were written by me, though some may have been produced as part of a collaborative process.

Published Works

Digital Accessibility in e-Government Projects. Government CIO Outlook. February 2020.
"Gaining Insights and Protecting Privacy: De-identifying Patron Data at The Seattle Public Library." [PDF] Alki: The Washington Library Association Journal. March 2016. Vol 32, No. 1: 11-13.
"Cathal Black's Pigs: Ambivalence, Confinement, and the Search for an Irish Sense of Place." [Google Books link] In Contemporary Irish Cinema: From The Quiet Man to Dancing at Lughnasa. James MacKillop, ed.

Professional Work Products

Capabilities and Impacts of 5G Wireless Service [PDF]. This is an briefing paper prepared for City executives in April 2019. Parts of the paper related to specific City policy have been removed.
Smart City or 'City of Monsters'? [LinkedIn Post]. A variation of a presentation I delivered at the 2018 National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors Annual Conference (NATOA), August 2018.
Technology and Access Service Plan - Final Report [PDF]. Final report of a strategic planning process for The Seattle Public Library.

Professional Blog Posts

Hype Signals: A Look at Technology Hype Around Cryptpto, Generative AI, and More July 2023
How to Avoid Hiring Narcissists November 2020
Why We Care So Much About Organizational Web Standards May 2020
Why Private Sector Practices Don't Translate Well to the Public Sector November 2019
The Reality Triangle October 2019
Encouraging Innovation in the Workplace October 2019

Appearances and Presentations

Washington Digital Government Summit (panel). Ethical AI in Government: Strategies for Success. November 29, 2023.
GovExec Financial Management Forum (panel). "The Great Tech Modernization Era". October 3, 2023.
KUOW Soundside (interview). "State and local governments are using AI for work. But should they?". September 25, 2023.
Government Technology Webinar (panel). "Starting Smart: Successful Strategies for ChatGPT and Beyond". July 20, 2023.
Geekwire Podcast (interview). "What Generative AI Means for Cities". July 8, 2023
MetroLab Summit 2023 (presentation). "The Future of AI for Local Governments and Universities". June 27, 2023.
League of Women Voters (panel). "League of Women Voters' Forum: Internet Privacy". November 6, 2017.
Geekwire Radio (interview). "How Technology is Reshaping the Public Library". May 31, 2014