Grit, Hustle & Cafecito: Miami as an Emerging Tech City

Christine Johnson is the Vice President of Innovation and Economic Development for the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. She has a passion for innovation economies and digital transformation and holds a BA from Notre Dame of Maryland University. Her work is focused on supporting the entrepreneurial landscape by fostering community growth through brokering relationships and leveraging resources. Christine has been involved in building and enhancing community ecosystems for more than ten years. She is the Strategic Advisor for Miami's Creative Industries initiatives and was selected as one of Miami's Most Influential and Powerful Black Professionals for 2020 by Legacy Magazine.

Today, Christine shares how she is driving innovation and encouraging Miami’s thriving ecosystem through her work at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. She reveals how her passion for creativity and exploration naturally led her to the technology industry and why making it happen and network power is essential. She highlights the tweet that started the tech revolution in Miami and how the city is attracting some of the biggest names in the tech world. We discuss what Miami-Dade County is doing within its cities to become some of the best Smart Cities in the country and how the unique combination of mindsets in Miami is driving innovation. We discuss how the tech boom is changing the culture and transforming the county’s workforce and which technology has created the most significant change. Christine also shares what the future holds for Miami and shares her advice for other leaders that want to become part of the Smart City Movement.

“It’s that immigrant grit that really drives innovation here. There’s a different type of hustle combined with a unique twist of a balance. There’s a hustle, and there's time made for the cafecito.” - Christine Johnson

This week on Girls in Tech:

• Christine’s work of driving innovation at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council
• How Christine’s passion for exploration and creativity led her to the technology industry
• How Christine created the opportunities to get to where she is today
• The power of network and making it happen
• The tweet that started the tech industry revolution in Miami
• How Miami created an impromptu tech week
• The strategies the city of Miami is using to attract tech companies
• How the cities in Miami-Dade County are becoming some of the top Smart Cities in the US
• The powerful combination of mindsets in Miami that is driving innovation and opportunity
• The various ways that technology is transforming the workforce and economy of Miami
• The technology that is causing the biggest change in the county
• How the tech boom is changing Miami’s culture
• What Christine predicts for the future of Miami
• Advice for other leaders that want to be part of the Smart City movement

Resources Mentioned:

• Refresh Miami
• Tech Gateway

Connect with Christine Johnson:

• Miami Dade Beacon Council
• Miami Dade Beacon Council on LinkedIn
• Miami Dade Beacon Council on Instagram
• Miami Dade Beacon Council on Facebook
• Miami Dade Beacon Council on Twitter
• Christine Johnson on LinkedIn
• Christine Johnson on Twitter

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