Watson will lead the county’s Information Technology Department and be responsible for all technology operations, cybersecurity, digital systems, infrastructure and public services.
She brings with her a background of more than 25 years’ combined military and federal service, according to the county, including senior technical and leadership roles. Watson most recently served as CIO at the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for guiding technology modernization and cybersecurity strategy for the agency’s public‑facing systems and internal operations.
In announcing Watson’s appointment, Mayor Lester Miller emphasized her experience and the role of technology in government, saying the latter is “the core of all we are doing to create a more accessible and transparent government in order to better serve our community.”
Before her role at the institute, Watson spent the majority of her career IT leadership within the U.S. Air Force. Her previous assignments included chief of Special Missions Division, chief of Legacy Systems Branch, and help desk section chief, all at Robins Air Force Base in Houston County, Ga. She has a Master of Science in information technology from the University of Arkansas, Grantham, where she graduated magna cum laude; and a Bachelor of Science in computer and information sciences from Georgia College and State University. She is a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Watson framed her new position as one that extends beyond managing systems, pointing to technology’s role in safeguarding county data and supporting day-to-day operations.
“Technology is the key to how organizations operate, protect critical assets and deliver meaningful results, and through it, we can advance innovation that delivers a measurable communitywide impact,” she said in a statement.
