The city of Newport News, Va., has appointed IT veteran Hassan Janjua as its first-ever chief information officer.
Janjua is expected to step into the role in February, according to a news release, and will be responsible for overseeing the city’s information technology strategy and operations.
The position of CIO is a newly created one, city Communications and Media Relations Manager Kimberly Bracy said in an email; the city IT department historically had been led by a director of information technology.
“Following an organizational realignment, the CIO role was established to elevate and align the function with the city’s broader strategic and operational needs,” Bracy said.
The new CIO will take over the position following a period of transitional leadership. Donnie Woodruff, a city IT project manager of more than 15 years, had been serving as its interim IT director since August, according to the city’s website, while officials sought a permanent CIO. Janjua’s appointment as permanent CIO was announced Thursday.
Janjua will now oversee the city’s enterprise systems, cybersecurity, data and analytics, and digital transformation initiatives. He will also have responsibility for advancing the city’s Technology Infrastructure Readiness Plan, which outlines priorities related to system security, resilience and long-term technology planning.
City Manager Alan K. Archer said in a statement that Janjua’s appointment is intended to support the city’s ongoing operational and service needs, while helping “advance strategic priorities, improve internal operations, and ensure the city remains well positioned to serve residents now and in the future.”
According to the announcement, Janjua has more than 24 years of experience working in public-sector technology roles. Before being selected as CIO, he served as senior IT division manager for the Internal Services Department at Los Angeles County, per the release, where he managed technology portfolios supporting more than 100,000 users across county departments. His responsibilities there included overseeing automation initiatives, cloud data endeavors and a variety of legacy tech modernizations.
Janjua’s work received achievement awards from the National Association of Counties and earned him quality and productivity awards from Los Angeles County.
He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from McMaster University in Canada and is pursuing an executive Master of Business Administration.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information on the role of CIO.
