This will be von Wolffradt’s fourth role heading a technology department, according to his LinkedIn page, but his first in city government. In January he stepped down as CIO for the state of Iowa, a position he held for more than six years. During that time, he helped Iowa expand broadband access to more than 4,000 homes and 700 businesses, bringing in $114 million of industry investment and more than 550 miles of fiber. He also oversaw an update to the state’s Web portal for citizen engagement and started preparing Iowans for future tech jobs through cybersecurity training and apprenticeships, recording a 30 percent bump in apprenticeship applications in the first quarter of 2018 and an average of 10,000 visitors to the site each month.
For four years prior to that, von Wolffradt was CIO of Wyoming, where he led significant IT consolidation efforts, implemented the first statewide cloud-based email system in the U.S. and started a new project management office. From 2002 to 2007, he was director of information technology for Snohomish County, Wash., and before that he was chief operating officer of schoolkit.com and a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force for 21 years.
Von Wolffradt has a master’s degree in computer resources and information management from Webster University, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Maryland.
According to a news release from the city, von Wolffradt will be Abilene’s first-ever CIO when he starts work this month.
“Previously, the city’s Information Technology Division did not always have a seat at the table and wasn’t always brought into high-level discussions on technology,” said Abilene City Manager Robert Hanna in a statement. “Bob will lead a team of dedicated professionals and will ensure that the city’s acquisition and implementation of technology is strategically focused and well-executed.”
A city of about 122,000 people in north Texas, Abilene won an $18.3 million federal loan in 2017 to replace more than 43,500 water meters with smart meters that have data functions and leak-detection.
