Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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John Tolva in Millennium Park, one of Chicago's free Wi-Fi hotspots. Superlatives PEOPLE, CULTURE, STYLE VIEW FROM THE TOP john tolva A CHICAGO'S TECH GURU BOOSTS THE CITY'S CONNECTIONS, STARTING WITH FREE WI-FI. BY RACHEL GILLMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP s the Chief Technology Officer for Chicago, it's John Tolva's job to be wired. After a global tour with IBM to help cities aggregate munici- pal data, he's embracing a new role at the helm of Chicago's tech initiatives. "It's an immense privilege, but you need to be on your toes. I love it, and I love the city. I'm not a politics guy or a government guy, but I'm a city guy. To make change you can see on the street is totally worth it." A fourth-generation Chicagoan, Tolva married his college girlfriend, Robyn, and has three children. A natural academic, he earned a graduate degree in English from Washington University and a Master's degree in Information Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Tolva started to pursue a Ph.D. in English, but the siren song of technology led him to a job at IBM. He credits his former boss Paula Baker for helping develop his pro- fessional skills. "Even when you think you can't learn from someone, you probably can. She was an invaluable counselor and continues to be." Tolva initially impressed Mayor Rahm Emanuel while the future mayor was campaigning on an "L" platform on a December morning. During a continued on page 54 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 53