Houston City Council today confirmed Mayor Sylvester Turner’s selection of Lisa Kent as the City’s new Chief Information Officer. Kent, who has served as interim CIO in August, was formerly Chief Technology Officer/Deputy Director for the Houston Airport System.
“I want a City IT department that is able to respond quickly to the technological advances occurring almost daily in today’s fast-paced 21st Century world we live in,” said Mayor Turner. “Lisa is the perfect choice for this position. She has 26 years of technology experience and is a skilled leader with the ability to change gears quickly and often. She is also quite familiar with the City’s systems due to her time in the airport systems,” said Mayor Turner.
Kent will be responsible for supervising a team of 215 professionals who provide technology systems and services for 21,000 municipal employees. The Houston Information Technology Services department also develops and supports the technology the City uses to communicate with the public, including the city website.
Kent’s accomplishments include:
- Installed what was recognized at the time as the second fastest airport Wi-Fi in the nation
- Recognized as a finalist for the SearchCIO.TechTarget.com 2013 Information Technology Leadership Aware for technological advancement
- Obtained $17 million in federal funding for Transportation Security Administration Advanced Surveillance Program
- Oversaw program management for multiple federally funded projects
- Managed $18 million technology budget
- Oversaw of technology to support $3 billion capital improvement program
Kent has held previous positions with St. Luke’s Hospital, Harris County Hospital District, Nissan North America, Inc. and Nortel/Bell Northern Research, Inc. She has a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.
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