Mayor John Laesch, who was elected in April, appointed Tyagi to the post, according to city documents. He is expected to start “on or about” Wednesday. Aurora’s CIO, a member of its management team, is responsible for a $17.2 million budget and 43 full-time employees, and is charged with planning and executing its strategic IT planning.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to drive meaningful reform and help build a modern, data-driven organization that serves the community with innovation and integrity,” Tyagi wrote Wednesday on LinkedIn. As of Thursday afternoon, the city’s staff directory had not yet been updated to reflect his confirmation.
Pegues served as CIO from June 2017 to May of this year, according to LinkedIn, moving from the private sector to lead the city’s IT department and a newly created innovation team. In 2020, he was named one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers. He is currently an adviser for Island, a web browser firm, and for Urban Innovators Global; and serves as an associate lecturer at Aurora University.
According to LinkedIn, Tyagi was most recently vice president and head of investment operations technology at Harris Associates. Before that, he held senior technology roles at Publicis Sapient, where he oversaw global cloud and digital transformation projects for clients in finance, transportation and retail. Earlier in his career, he led data integration and compliance efforts for financial institutions.
Tyagi takes the reins as Aurora turns its attention to next-phase initiatives in areas including artificial intelligence and infrastructure expansion. The city, Illinois’ second most populous, has been on a smart city path for several years and is working to support a net-zero smart neighborhood, upgrade its network infrastructure, expand fiber capacity and enhance desktop services — while pursuing its long-term goal of becoming a regional technology hub. Aurora is also developing generative AI policy and strategy, and has hired International Data Corporation to assist in the process, estimated to take a year.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct information on the city's 2025 IT budget.
