Barbara Swartzentruber

Executive Director, Smart Cities Office, City of Guelph

Barbara Swartzentruber is currently the Executive Director of the Smart Cities Office at the City of Guelph. She is also appointed on the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on the Circular Economy in Canada. As winners’ of the Canada’s Smart City Challenge, the City and County of Wellington, are collaborating with public and private sector partners to create Canada’s first Circular Food Economy. Building on the principles of a circular economy and leveraging the power of data and technology, they are re-imagining a sustainable regional food system that increases access to healthy nutritious food for all, prevents food loss and waste and creates circular businesses for a green economy.

Barbara has more than 30 years of experience in public sector innovation at the local, provincial and national levels in the areas of smart cities, citizen engagement, digital economy, rural broadband, open government, data and technology. She has taught public policy, community development and advocacy at several Canadian universities.