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Phoenix CIO Debbie Cotton Retires

The city's office of Information Technology Services confirmed on July 15 that Cotton has officially retired as of July 2016.

After serving as CIO of Phoenix for two-and-a-half years, Debbie Cotton has retired as of July 2016, the city's office of Information Technology Services confirmed on July 15.

Cotton became CIO after serving for two-and-a-half years as director of the Phoenix Convention Center. Prior to that, she worked for eight years as director of the city's Public Transit Department, and was previously at Xerox Corp. and the Resolution Trust Corp.

Cotton told Government Technology in March that Phoenix's technology future lies in its federated approach to shared services. With 26 lines of business, she said, the city is similar to a large corporation.

"Our departments’ core mission is not to deliver technology," she said. "Our core mission is to provide public housing, public transportation and airport services, and deliver clean water, pick up sanitation, etc. The thing that we are expressing to people is to focus on your core business and let us do the technology piece."

As of press time, the city had not responded to questions regarding where Cotton went and who, if anyone, has been chosen as a replacement.

Colin wrote for Government Technology and Emergency Management from 2010 through most of 2016.