Veteran Tampa, Fla., Exec Eric Hayden Is Interim CIO

Eric Hayden, a public-sector technology veteran, has been named interim chief information officer for the city of Tampa, replacing former CIO Russell Haupert.

Haupert served as Tampa’s chief information officer and chief technology officer from October 2011 to January 2024. During his tenure, he oversaw a team of 128 employees and contractors within the city’s IT department while balancing a $28 million operating budget and a $6 million capital budget among 33 separate divisions.

As interim CIO, Hayden will pick up where Haupert left off, leading Tampa’s Technology and Innovation Department. His promotion took place in January, according to LinkedIn.

Before serving as interim CIO, Hayden has held various positions with the city since 1986, including serving as an infrastructure services manager, a management information systems project leader, an applications lead systems analyst, an applications senior programmer analyst and an applications system analyst.

Hayden holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus in information security management from Saint Leo University.