Jason Thomas Appointed to Director of Analytics and Data Management

Published on March 28, 2024

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the appointment of Jason Thomas to Director of Analytics and Data Management. As part of the Office of Analytics, Performance and Innovation, Thomas will oversee the City’s portfolio of data analytics and business insight products, implement a citywide data infrastructure, and write data governance policies to ensure the responsible use of data within City government. 

Thomas will also supervise the implementation of ongoing programs such as open data and surveillance technology oversight, and assist in the scoping, development, and maintenance of a variety of data products such as reports, business insight tools, and data pipelines.  

Before taking on his role as director, Thomas worked as the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Data Analyst. In this position, he analyzed data for over sixty projects funded by the federal government’s $123 million ARPA investment in Syracuse. His work included building the City’s nationally recognized ARPA Dashboard, helping to develop quantitative measures of equity and inclusion for road reconstruction, and developing tools to help the City better use data to improve its processes and optimize the delivery of services.

Thomas earned both a Ph.D. and master’s in political science from the University of Iowa, and bachelor’s degrees in government and biology from the University of Texas.