Welcoming Detroit’s New Chief Information Officer

The Obama Administration is committed to partnering with the City of Detroit—its citizens, local leaders, and community stakeholders—to support the city’s vision for economic revitalization. As part of this effort, in November, the White House assembled in Detroit a team of top municipal-government technology officials from around the country. The goal of the trip, and the ongoing engagement between this Tech Team of municipal officials and the city, has been to identify ways technology can be leveraged in support of economic revitalization and improved services for city residents.

Today marks another important milestone for Detroit city government’s technological revitalization: it is the first day on the job for the City of Detroit’s new Chief Information Officer, Beth Niblock. She is serving in a newly-created cabinet-level position in the city. Beth, an accomplished and innovative leader, was a member of the municipal Tech Team. She brings to Detroit a wealth of valuable experience through the incredible work she did over the past decade in the same position for the City of Louisville, Kentucky.

Congratulations to Beth and the City of Detroit. The creation of this new position—with Beth on the job— further solidifies the critical role of technology and innovation in the city’s policies and economic revitalization efforts. We look forward to continued progress as the City of Detroit, under Beth’s leadership, embarks on building a more robust, vibrant, 21^st century city. Going forward, OSTP and the Tech Team will continue to partner with City of Detroit to support this important work.

Brian Forde is Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer 

Don Graves is Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness at the White House