Chattanooga, Tenn., Mayor Tim Kelly announced that his administration has tapped Jerele Neeld as the city’s new chief information officer (CIO).
Neeld has been serving as interim CIO since March but will now assume the permanent position. Before becoming interim CIO for Chattanooga, Neeld served as the director of Intelligent Cities.
“Since becoming interim CIO, Jerele has shown strong leadership. His strategic thinking, calm demeanor, and genuine care for his team has consistently shone through,” said Mayor Kelly. “We’re fortunate that Jerele felt a call to public service after retiring from Dell and relocating from Austin to Chattanooga. 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.”
Prior to joining the city government, Neeld spent more than 20 years with Dell Technologies. At Dell Technologies, Neeld most recently served as vice president of global localization and context design and development.
“I want to thank Mayor Kelly and City Council for trusting me to continue serving in this important role. 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,” said Neeld.
“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. I believe the Department of Technology Services can set an example for how governments use tech to find innovative solutions to everyday problems,” Neeld added.
Neeld was approved by the Chattanooga City Council without opposition.
