Without opposition, the Chattanooga City Council has approved Mayor Tim Kelly’s selection of Jerele Neeld as Chattanooga’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Tuesday. Jerele has been serving as Chattanooga’s interim CIO since March.
Neeld came to city government after a successful career with Dell Technologies where he spent more than 20 years in leadership, most recently as Vice President of Global Localization and Context Design & Development. He served as Director of Intelligent Cities for The City of Chattanooga before being asked to serve as interim CIO.
“Since becoming interim CIO, Jerele has shown strong leadership. His strategic thinking, calm demeanor, and genuine care for his team has consistently shone through,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “We’re fortunate that Jerele felt a call to public service after retiring from Dell and relocating from Austin to Chattanooga. I’m looking forward to working with him as we continue to leverage technology to make city government more efficient and responsive to the needs of our people.”
“I want to thank Mayor Kelly and City Council for trusting me to continue serving in this important role. Since joining city government in January, I’ve been motivated by the public servants at the Department of Technology Services, who are committed to delivering the best possible services to the people of Chattanooga,” said Neeld. “I remain inspired by Mayor Kelly’s vision for One Chattanooga and his belief in the power of technology to improve the lives of Chattanoogans. I believe the Department of Technology Services can set an example for how governments use tech to find innovative solutions to everyday problems.”