Generating Radical Inclusion & Transformation
This series of conversations explores how grit, an attribute often given to people who overcome obstacles, can serve as a tool to build agency. With a specific focus on creative expression, G.R.I.T. seeks to expand what it means to practice art for social change. The title stands for: Generating Radical Inclusion & Transformation. Host Griselda Suárez will interview Tracy M. Colunga, Civic Engagement Director Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins.
Tracy M. Colunga
Tracy M. Colunga joined the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation after a sixteen-year career in city government. Tracy serves as the Civic Engagement Practice Director and works to expand the already bustling Civic Engagement Practice through initiatives like Cities of Service and programs like Love Your Block. She will also be focused on helping advance and credentialize the field of civic engagement as a core tool for government innovation.
Most recently, she served as the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Long Beach, CA. She has focused her work on policies and projects that advocate for Black, Brown, Asian Pacific Islander, justice involved, and people of color. Under Tracy’s leadership, the Office of Civic Innovation worked closely with the Long Beach Police Department to understand trends and patterns of people cycling in and out of the justice system. The City of Long Beach launched the Long Beach Justice Lab to strategically break the cycle of incarceration. She and her team led the development of the Language Access Policy, African American Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Safe Long Beach Violence Prevention Plan, My Brother’s Keeper, and Airport Customer Experience (CX). She has focused her career around community engagement.
As the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers, Tracy is a first-generation college graduate and holds a master’s degree from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. Tracy is currently lecturer at California State University Long Beach School of Social Work. She serves on the Board of Directors for the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, served as lecturer there for five years, and received the UCLA Joe Nunn Alumni Award in 2011. Tracy is married to her husband, Hutx, of 18 years who is a teacher and advocate for young people in the local community. They have two children, Lupe a graduate student and Quetzal a high school aspiring filmmaker.