Monday, August 5, 2024 – Cleveland — Today is the first day on the job for the Bibb Administration’s new Chief Innovation & Technology Officer (CITO), Stephanie Wernet.
In this role, Chief Wernet will manage the development, execution and coordination of technology with the goal of transforming the user experience for both municipal functions and in everyday interactions with residents. She comes to the city with decades of experience in a variety of environments including public, private, nonprofit, tech startups, education, manufacturing, and healthcare organizations.
“Our new CITO is a forward-thinking leader with the right blend of experience to drive digital transformation for the City of Cleveland,” Mayor Justin M. Bibb said, “with a deep skill set in a wide range of IT disciplines, from e-commerce and business development to education and cybersecurity, and I am confident that Chief Wernet will help us innovate and expand the role of technology to better serve residents.”
Wernet joins the city following eight years as Chief Information Officer, Vice President of Information Technology, and Vice President of Purchasing for Breakthrough Schools. In that role, she transformed the IT department to be more secure, responsive and efficient and led the transition to 100-percent online learning for 4,000 scholars and 500 staff members at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, she spent more than seven years at Goodyear, serving as Vice President of eCommerce and VP of Information Technology, and has held senior roles at Reynolds & Reynolds, McKinsey & Company and IBM.
“The City of Cleveland has made great progress in its work toward a more modern and responsive City Hall, through the open data project, the overhaul of 311 and increasing access for residents to interact and conduct business with the city online,” Chief Wernet said. “I am excited to take this work to the next level and deliver on Mayor Bibb’s commitment to enhance city services and make data-driven decisions though better technology.”
Wernet holds an MBA from Stanford University College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
