Tracy M. Colunga, Civic Engagement Director for the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, leads a growing practice that includes the Cities of Service initiative and new programming drawing on the insights and skills of community members to power better local solutions.

A 16-year city government leader, Tracy served as the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Long Beach, California; launched the Long Beach Justice Lab to strategically break the cycle of incarceration; and led key local equity and impact-focused initiatives that include African American Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Safe Long Beach Violence Prevention Plan, My Brother’s Keeper, and Airport Customer Experience (CX). In addition, Tracy’s work in Long Beach helped create the city’s first Language Access Policy and organize initiatives that advocated for new support for people of color and those involved in the justice system.

As the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers, Tracy is a first-generation college graduate who now serves on the faculty of California State University Long Beach School of Social Work. She holds a Bachelor degree from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN, and is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs where she received her Masters of Social Work.