Chattanooga Makes Technologist Jerele Neeld Permanent CIO

The city of Chattanooga has chosen a new permanent chief information officer, with the City Council approving Mayor Tim Kelly’s appointment of interim CIO Jerele Neeld to the role.

Neeld had served as interim CIO since March when Tyson Morris, the city’s CIO of two years, stepped down. Morris re-emerged in May as CIO for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Neeld’s ability to inspire and energize his department made him the perfect permanent candidate for the position, Kelly said.

“Since becoming interim CIO, Jerele has shown strong leadership. His strategic thinking, calm demeanor, and genuine care for the team has consistently shone through,” Kelly said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to working with him as we continue to leverage technology to make city government more efficient and responsive to the needs of our people.” Neeld’s appointment took effect on July 9.

The newly permanent CIO has an extensive background in technology, having served as vice president of global localization and content design and development at Dell Technologies for more than six years. He joined the city next, in January, as director of intelligent cities before being elevated to interim CIO.

Under his leadership, Neeld said he believes the city’s Department of Technology Services can serve as an example for using tech to identify groundbreaking solutions to commonplace problems.

“Since joining city government in January, I’ve been motivated by the public servants at the Department of Technology Services, who are committed to delivering the best possible services to the people of Chattanooga,” Neeld said in the news release. “I want to thank Mayor Kelly and the City Council for trusting me to continue serving in this important role. I remain inspired by Mayor Kelly’s vision for ‘One Chattanooga’ and his belief in the power of technology to improve the lives of Chattanoogans.”