Douglas, who most recently served as the deputy chief customer officer with the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology, will assume the position in mid-June, according to a press release by the city.
Julia Richman previously held the innovation and technology post until her departure in February 2020. She now serves as chief strategy officer for the state's Office of Information Technology.
Douglas brings some 20 years of IT experience to the city, according to city officials.
“Jennifer’s strong innovation and strategy experience in both the private and public sectors provides an opportunity for the city to maximize opportunities to rethink government processes to better serve the community and to help the city become more effective and efficient in its use of technology and data,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam, in a statement. “This position will play an essential role in moving more city services to an e-government environment that is available 24/7.”
The expansion of broadband technology will be one of the focus areas for Douglas, city officials said.
"Some of the specifics will be to lead our organizational IT transformation road map and construction of the broadband backbone," said Patrick von Keyserling, communication director for Boulder, in an email.
And certainly, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is touching practically every part of city government, affecting services, and putting in place new challenges and opportunities for civic engagement.
"The role of innovation and technology is amplified," said von Keyserling. "We have an opportunity to learn from our experience of virtual 24/7 environments to increase opportunities for community and workforce engagement.
"We will use this defining event to help us define service delivery of the future," he added.
About 120 applicants were considered for the CIO position, winnowed down to three finalists.
