Kira Morin is Innovate Memphis’ Director of Data Midsouth, our forthcoming online data hub where users can access a wide variety of civic data sources and reports in one centralized place. She came to Innovate from Memphis-Shelby County Schools where she gained a wealth of experience in managing large-scale data analytics and user-centered design. Get to know Kira’s contributions and insights here with our Staff Spotlight Q&A.
What brought you to the world of data analytics?
I’ve always been passionate about solving complex problems and improving user experiences. My curiosity about the world led me to study and research Behavioral Neuroscience, which gave me a solid foundation in data analysis, programming, and research design. My early roles in Americorps VISTA and City Year Boston opened my eyes to the power of data in education, showing me how it can drive meaningful improvements. During my 4.5 years as a science and math educator, I found myself engaged in building my own tools and systems to support data-driven instruction for hours. This passion for creating data solutions brought me to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, where I spent 3.5 years developing business intelligence tools and later leading an analytics team that produced and maintained over 250 internal reports for a diverse group of 1,300 users. It was a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience where I focused on making data management more efficient, establishing knowledge management systems, and improving user experiences through research and quality assurance.
What are you most excited about working on at Innovate Memphis?
I’m most excited about the opportunity to build data systems and tools that will improve the lives of Memphians and those who serve them. My vision for the Data Midsouth civic data hub is to be a local user-friendly data portal will catalog and visualize data sets from various departments in the County and City governments, nonprofits, and more. Typically this information is only available in isolation, but I believe the true value of data comes when you can triangulate it, making it more reflective of the world we live in. I’m also thrilled to bring community members and data users into the fold to guide its design. It’s essential that we ensure this portal solves the problems they face and answers the questions they have. Engaging with the community in this way ensures that the tools we build are not only useful but truly impactful in addressing real-world issues.
Who do you hope will use Data Midsouth, and how will they benefit?
Users can benefit from Data Midsouth in several ways. First, it will empower decision-makers to make more informed choices that reflect the real needs and conditions of the community. When data is integrated and easily accessible, it leads to more effective policies and programs, ultimately benefiting everyone. Moreover, this platform will significantly enhance transparency and accountability. By making data available in one centralized hub, citizens will be able to see how resources are allocated and track the progress of various initiatives. This kind of openness promotes accountability among public officials and organizations, fostering a culture of trust and engagement.
Community engagement is another key benefit. When data is accessible and easy to understand, it allows community members to engage more deeply with the issues that affect them. This empowerment enables residents to participate more actively in public discourse and advocacy, armed with a solid understanding of the facts. Nonprofits and other community organizations will also find immense value in Data Midsouth. With access to aggregated data, they can identify gaps in services, collaborate more effectively, and optimize resource allocation to address community needs more efficiently. This means better-coordinated efforts and more impactful outcomes for the people they serve. Finally, Data Midsouth will be a valuable resource for researchers and innovators. By leveraging the aggregated data, they can identify trends, conduct studies, and develop new solutions to community challenges. The goal is to drive innovation and continuous improvement within our city.
What do you like to do when you’re not working on Data Midsouth?
I love reading historical fiction, salsa dancing, and spending time with my Bluetick Coonhound, Lulu. I also really enjoy international travel and exploring new places.
How can community members get involved in Innovate Memphis’ local data intermediary initiatives?
Contact us at datamidsouth@innovatememphis.com if you are interested in getting involved in any of these opportunities below:
1) Join the Civic Data Forum – We bring together data leads from local public agencies, civic-oriented nonprofits and people who just want to learn more about the latest data and research innovations in the Memphis area at our Civic Data Forums. These happen on a quarterly basis and give participants opportunities to share research and data projects they are working on as well as collaborate on shared local data initiatives.
2) Contribute to Data Midsouth as a data provider – Your organization can play a crucial role in building a richer, more comprehensive local data catalog for Data Midsouth. Although public agencies are the primary contributors to the platform, we know many nonprofits and community-based organizations have other types of useful data like surveys and service provision activities that can improve decision-making across our community.
3) Test and give feedback on the Data Midsouth platform and data catalog – We just did our very first round of user testing on our Data Midsouth beta site in December 2024, and users gave us invaluable feedback on how to make it more user-friendly before we release more widely. We expect to have a lot of future opportunities for additional user testing and idea generation about what the platform should do, and we are looking for participants with all kinds of different experiences and desires for civic data. You don’t have to have an extensive technology or data analysis background to be a great tester! Sign up to be a tester for future Data Midsouth projects here.
4) Explore our data services – We also offer a wide range of data services that can support nonprofit organizations and public agencies that may not have the time or internal capacity to take these on themselves. Learn more about the range of services we offer at Data Midsouth by visiting our Data Midsouth Services page.