Nashville Metro’s last permanent tech leader Keith Durbin served the region as CIO and director of Information Technology Services (ITS) for 15 years, from 2009 until his May 2024 retirement. During that time, he played a leadership role in projects like developing free Metro Public Wi-Fi and Connected Nashville, which worked to draw out information on community issues and services needed from technology and data.
John Griffey, Nashville’s chief information security officer and assistant director of ITS, took over as interim CIO and ITS director when Durbin departed. When Smith starts as CIO on March 16, Griffey will resume his role as CISO. ITS, with a staff of 170, supports more than 50 agencies with a budget of $64.5 million.
Smith is currently serving as IT director for the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prior to joining the city in August 2023, he had been CIO at Kenosha County, Wis., since July 2020. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer information systems from DeVry University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He has more than 30 years of leadership in local governments, according to a Nashville news release.
Smith's final day with Cedar Rapids is Friday, March 6, according to the city’s Human Resources department. The city's Assistant IT Director Julie Macauley will serve as interim director until a permanent replacement is hired. A recruitment is expected to open next week through the city employment portal.
“What excites me is the opportunity for technology to help shape and develop what Metro Nashville is doing,” Smith said in a statement, highlighting mayoral initiatives like the Choose How You Move transportation plan, the system modernization funded with a voter-approved sales tax increase.
Smith’s experience and vision will support the work being done by the Metro government, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a statement, noting that Smith and Griffey will “make a dynamic team together.”
