Mike Mayta

As chief information officer for Wichita, Kan., Mike Mayta oversees IT and innovation for 17 departments across more than 90 locations — a role he’s held for over a decade. During that time, the pace of change has accelerated dramatically, compressing what once took several years into just a couple. But Mayta’s philosophy has remained steady: Start with the business problem, not the technology. “If you’re starting with the technology, then you’re starting at the wrong place.”

That approach shapes how Wichita evaluates emerging tools, including AI. While AI carries real costs, Mayta said the return often shows up in less obvious ways. Chronic understaffing across city government has made automation less about replacement and more about relief.

“We’re not replacing jobs with AI,” he said. “We’re really targeting processes that can be replaced with AI that are just repetitive and most people don’t want to do anyway.”

The results are tangible. Wichita has steadily expanded its digital services, helping drive online transactions from $2 million annually to more than $76 million. That growth, Mayta said, followed a natural migration to digital platforms — accelerated by the pandemic — but only worked because the systems were usable.

Innovation, however, runs alongside security. And as co-chair of the Kansas Cybersecurity Task Force, Mayta has pushed for shared, regional approaches to cyber defense, particularly for small and rural cities. “Bots don’t care what size of city you are,” he said. “If they find an issue, they’re going to exploit it.”

After more than 30 years in IT, Mayta measures success less by systems than by people. Asked what he’s most proud of, he didn’t point to platforms or programs. Instead, he pointed to scale. “The things we’ve been able to accomplish with 60 people,” he said, “quite frankly, it’s pretty amazing.”