City governments here in the United States aren’t typically known as early adopters of the latest in technology and innovation — that means that New York City’s first-ever Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot has a pretty big job on her hands.

So it was great to have the opportunity to talk to Haot about her job and her latest projects while she was in Austin, Texas this past week for South By Southwest Interactive. She told us she’s focused on encouraging tech adoption and development not only within NYC’s government and public services, but also in the city in general, with initiatives such as Made In NY aimed at supporting NYC’s tech industry and startup ecosystem.

Watch the video embedded above to hear Haot talk about how cities large and small should focus more on digital technology, what Made In NY means, making the leap from the startup world into the public sector, and more.