By : Subuk Hasnain
Tue, 07/16/2013 - 2:02pm
A Council committee on Tuesday unanimously approved the nomination of Brenna Berman as chief information officer and commissioner for the city’s Department of Innovation and Technology.
Berman plans to focus on city-wide planning and execution of an IT strategy that is centered on the needs of residents and the departments that serve them. Berman told committee members that her short-term goals include continuing the consolidation of IT services within the city to allow DoIT to maximize its resources and to ensure that the department’s funds are spent wisely.
“This means implementing common systems to meet common business needs and breaking down data silos,” Berman said. “It also means consolidating IT operations into the single DoIT department to make the most efficient and effective use of limited resources.”
According to Berman, the consolidation began in 2013 by incorporating into DoIT the IT operations of the library and the some elements of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The consolidation will continue next year with the Department of Human Resources IT operations as well as those of other departments.
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) and other members of the committee raised concerns over the portable 311 service tracker that allows for a more accurate and detailed reporting of issues to city departments. Berman explained that the device and similar apps that will allow Council members to access these reports any time are not available yet due to a lack of funding.
Berman, who was nominated for the position by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, most recently served as first deputy commissioner of DoIT and spent a year as deputy budget director of the city’s Office of Budget and Management. She previously worked with government entities on technology innovation as the global sales leader at IBM from 2000 to 2011. If appointed, Berman will succeed Brett Goldstein, the city’s first chief data officer.
The nomination will now go before the City Council for approval.
This article was originally published on the Daily Whale website in 2013.