Innovation Heroes

Smart cities in action: How Cary, NC is pioneering municipal innovation

Innovation Heroes

Show Notes

What happens when a small town in North Carolina embraces cutting-edge technology to become a leader in smart city innovation? In this episode, host Ed McNamara is joined by SHI’s Senior Vice President of Public Sector Sales, Denise Collison, and special guest Dan Ault, Assistant Town Manager and Chief Innovation Officer for Cary, North Carolina.

Together, they dive into the challenges and successes of digital transformation in local government. Ault shares insights on pioneering smart city initiatives, securing critical infrastructure, and improving citizen engagement, while Collison adds her expertise on navigating the unique complexities of public sector technology adoption.

Through this conversation, listeners get a glimpse of how municipalities like Cary are leveraging technology to create more connected, efficient, and secure communities. From the use of sensors to mitigate stormwater risks to the implementation of a groundbreaking 311 system, Ault’s work exemplifies the future of digital government.

Listen to the full episode below or wherever you get your podcasts.

Featuring: Dan Ault, Assistant Town Manager and Chief Innovation Officer of the Town of Cary, North Carolina and Denise Collison, Senior Vice-President of Public Sector Sales at SHI

More from Innovation Heroes

Mar 9, 2026

A decade of better tools. Better services. Better data. And yet the same statistic keeps showing up: 25-30% of enterprise technology spend is wasted. Why can't anyone move the needle?

Feb 19, 2026

Everyone’s talking about AI that writes code and answers questions. But what happens when AI has to operate in the physical world, where mistakes don’t just generate weird sentences, they have real consequences?

Feb 5, 2026

The encryption protecting your most sensitive data has as an expiration date. Nation-states are harvesting encrypted traffic right now, stockpiling it until quantum computers become powerful enough to crack it in seconds.

Jan 22, 2026

AI ambition is colliding with physical reality.

Jan 12, 2026

State and local governments are under pressure to deliver modern services, but budgets, staffing shortages, and long procurement cycles make innovation feel impossible. In this episode of Innovation Heroes, host Ed McNamara talks with three leaders proving that AI-powered Smart Cities aren’t a futuristic concept. They’re happening now.

See all episodes →