People

Debra Lam is the Founding Executive Director for Partnership for Inclusive Innovation and Managing Director of Smart Cities and Inclusive innovation for Georgia Tech. She has a mandate to drive smart communities and urban innovation work across the university and beyond. She founded the Georgia Smart Community Challenge, the first state-wide effort in the nation that empowers communities of all sizes to become smarter. Prior to this, she served as Pittsburgh's first ever Chief of Innovation & Performance where she oversaw all technology, sustainability, performance and innovation functions of city government. She crafted the city's first strategic plan for innovation, Inclusive Innovation Roadmap. Prior to that, she was a management consultant at a global engineering and design firm, Arup. She has been the recipient of various awards, including one of the top 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitcal. She has worked and lived in the United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and University of California, Berkeley, and serves on the boards of the MetroLab Network and Neighborhood Nexus.

Kristi Kirkland has been with Georgia Tech for more than 15 years, joining the Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation Initiative (SCI2) in 2017. In collaboration with SCI2 faculty, staff, and students, Kristi provides administrative program management support for all SCI2’s programs, activities, and events. Before joining SCI2, Kristi provided research support for the Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Tech which conducted research on various issues, opportunities, and challenges associated with fundamental transformation in enterprises.
Kristi received a Master of Science Degree in Higher Education Administration from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Arts in Business Administration from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Furman University.

Greg McCormick is the Director of the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, a smart communities grant challenge for the state of Georgia, championed by Georgia Tech and sponsored and supported by a team of community organizations and industries. Mr. McCormick is a Senior Research Engineer at Georgia Tech Research Institute and holds an MBA, Master's, and Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Stephanie Broxton is the Community Research Manager within the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation. Within this role, she is responsible for advancing community research through meaningful engagement while utilizing the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge as a vehicle to improve the human condition. Prior to this, she served as Project Manager for two major Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Workforce grants within the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University. She has a Master of Public Administration from Georgia College, and an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Food Science with a minor in Health Education and Promotion from Georgia Southern University. A Georgia native, she is passionate about all aspects of public administration and is grateful to continue to serve communities across the state of Georgia.