Simeone comes to New Haven with IT leadership experience from the public sector, including time at companies that work in finance and legal services. He was most recently CIO for nearly nine years at Bendett & McHugh, P.C., a law firm that represents major financial institutions.
In a news release, the city said Simeone will help guide tech work and strategy for both the local government and New Haven’s board of education, overseeing tech and the decision-making around it.
City of New Haven
“I look forward to applying my information technology and cybersecurity expertise to guide the city’s day-to-day technology operations, help support the city’s continued technology and efficiency goals, and most importantly to serve New Haven residents in this critical role,” Simeone said in a statement.
Cybersecurity may be especially top of mind after a June incident in which the city initially lost nearly $6 million to fraudsters. City and federal officials expect to recover at least $4.7 million, the New Haven Register reported Sunday.
The incident involved fraudsters compromising the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) chief operating officer’s email account and ultimately making off with payment intended for the city’s school bus company. Two Board of Education employees, the director of information technology and the senior IT information specialist were put on paid leave in February due to “performance-related concerns” following the breach, an NHPS spokesman said at the time.
The New Haven Register contributed to this report.
