Tracy M. Colunga

Background

About Tracy M. Colunga

Tracy M. Colunga, MSW, joined the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University after a twenty-year career in government. The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Tracy serves as the Civic Engagement Practice Director and works to expand the bustling Civic Engagement Practice through Cities of Service, the Local Infrastructure HUB, and Love Your Block grant program. She is focused on advancing and credentialing the field of civic engagement as a core tool for government innovation. Cities of Service supports over 300 Mayors globally dedicated to meaningful community engagement to solve public problems. Tracy and her team have trained over 1,200 mayors and city hall executive staff on best practices in community engagement including building trust, Asset Based Community Development, violence prevention, and neighborhood improvement. Through the Love Your Block grant program to cities, her team installs Fellows and AmeriCorps VISTAs and equips them with training to partner with historically disinvested neighborhoods to unlock poverty and blight. In addition, they have supported over 400 US cities in accessing Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding in partnership with National League of Cities. Previously, she served as the first Latina Chief Innovation Officer in the U.S with the City of Long Beach, CA. She has focused her work on policies and projects that advocate for Latino, African American, Native American, Asian Pacific Islander, justice involved humans, and women. 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 served as a lecturer for twelve years at California State University Long Beach School of Social Work and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She has received many awards and most notably the UCLA Social Work Joseph Nunn Alumni Award.