Atlanta creates CIO advisory group to drive city’s tech policy
Atlanta officials announced Wednesday the creation of an advisory board composed of private-sector IT executives — including some representing the city’s biggest corporations — to advise municipal leaders on technology policies. The 13-member group will consult with the city’s chief information officer, Gary Brantley, on several policy areas, including future IT investments, connecting residents with digital services and new technology innovations, according to a city press release.
“The Chief Information Officer Advisory Board will play a vital role in setting the strategic direction for innovation and technology now and in the future,” said Brantley, whom Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed last October.
Brantley’s tenure as CIO so far has largely been defined by his management of the city’s ongoing recovery from a widespread ransomware attack in March 2018, which crippled scores of government applications and cost Atlanta at least $17 million. Speaking with StateScoop in March, Brantley said he is focused on overhauling the city’s IT governance structure to include more collaboration between the private and public sectors.
The advisory board includes the top IT officers at companies across a variety of industries, including the credit-monitoring firm Equifax, cable-television operator Cox Enterprises, energy utility Southern Company, Delta Air Lines and Chick-fil-A. Other members of the group include representatives from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Georgia State University.
“I look forward to collaborating with Gary Brantley and other thought leaders in the region to ensure sustainability, equity and inclusion in our community leveraging technology and cultivate an ecosystem that is conducive to strong economic growth,” Cynthia Curry, director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s “smart cities” initiatives, said in the press release.
The board will hold its first meeting next month, Atlanta officials said.
The full membership of the advisory board includes:
- Eric Anderson, Egon Zehnder
- Claire Arnold, Leap Frog Services
- David Cummings, Atlanta Tech Village
- Cynthia Curry, Metro Atlanta Chamber
- Martin Davis, Southern Company
- Michael “Mike“ Ebrick, Chick-fil-A
- Jay Ferro, QuickRete
- Roy Hadley, Adams and Reese LLP
- Bryson Koehler, Equifax
- Danielle McPherson, Delta Airlines
- Gregory Morrison, Cox Enterprises
- Krishnakumar “KK“ Narayanan, Delta Air Lines
- Phil Ventimiglia, Georgia State University
