On Feb. 1, Stowe was named acting deputy city manager of Evanston, Ill., and will continue serving as the city’s CIO. In his new interim role, Stowe oversees health and human services, parks and recreation, finance and budget and the fire department. And he will still oversee IT and administrative adjudication.
Stowe will work directly with the city manager, city council and different department heads, which will help him “connect the dots” when it comes to delivering tech-driven services. Many of the projects involved in his new role may have significant technology implications. Two examples of such projects include an examination of whether the headquarters facilities for police and fire should be combined into one location and a fresh long-term vision for City Hall.
“I want to be cautious that we build a City Hall for the future instead of a City Hall for the past,” Stowe said.
Stowe is aware that other public CIOs — including Rosa Akhtarkhavari, Rob Lloyd and Amy Tong — have recently been tapped to fill other roles in government. He believes there is a reason for this developing trend.
“I think it’s not coincidental to be honest,” Stowe said. “COVID added an exclamation point to the importance of technology in delivering government services.”
Part of his explanation draws on the fact that remote and hybrid work models have become much more common since the onset of the pandemic. Different organizations can thus benefit from having leaders who are knowledgeable about all the technological considerations that come with those models. Stowe mentioned how, for instance, many senior-level positions in Colorado can now be performed from any location within that state, assuming a good Internet connection is present.
“I don’t think that’s going away,” he said.
The growing importance of cybersecurity points to another reason public CIOs are gaining new responsibilities in government, Stowe said. He referenced the recent news about Russia and Ukraine and how the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a cyber warning for all of the United States.
It’s getting to the point where organizations can’t afford to lack strong leadership in cybersecurity.
“I was talking with a council member a couple of nights ago,” Stowe shared. “He was saying, ‘I don’t think Russia is interested in Evanston.’ He’s right ... but what happens is it’s a scattershot approach. If they [Russia] decide to release ransomware into the ether, we’re all susceptible to it.”
Looking to the future, Stowe wants to support the city council and senior staff in helping vulnerable populations. Things like mental health services, financial assistance and affordable housing have always been on Evanston’s radar, but the pandemic has magnified the issues. Federal funding can allow a local area to start addressing these issues more, but Stowe has an eye on sustainability as well, given that the federal money won’t always be there.
“We’ve got an opportunity here to make some down payments and investments to improve the lives of people who are struggling,” Stowe said. “I would say that’s at the forefront of everything we’re trying to do right now.”
