Chief Innovation Officer
A former foster care kid from the Southwest, Waldie joined Myrtle Beach in 2022 as the city’s first Chief Innovation Officer. Serving in the public sector since 2011, Waldie has been in multiple roles for various municipalities and public institutions across the United States, namely in Arizona and Virginia. Prior to joining the “First in Service Team” in Myrtle Beach, Waldie worked for the City of Virginia Beach, primarily spearheading special projects for the City Manager’s Office and the Innovation Team, including: helping launch the Office of Performance & Accountability and its inaugural programs, lead for PermitStat, project management for their Flood Protection Program and $567M Bond Referendum, public engagement, and strategy development and execution.
Having worked across the municipal government spectrum, his background covers economic and community development, infrastructure, human services, public safety, strategic planning, technology and process innovation, performance management, administration, and leadership.
Waldie earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, an Honors Degree, and a Minor of Ethics & Philosophy from Arizona State University, and a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University. During his time at Arizona State University, he served two terms as Student Body President and was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and their Entrepreneurship & Corporate Partnerships Committee. He earned a Master Certificate in High Performance Leadership from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), is certified in Government Innovation from the founder of the City & County of Denver’s PEAK Academy Program, and trained under one of the previous Directors of former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s Baltimore CitiStat Program.