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New Chief Information Officer Appointed by Key County

The new chief information officer has more than 40 years of IT experience, including 20 years in executive leadership and 12 years in technology consulting.

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Ventura County has named a new chief information officer (CIO), promoting from within after a nationwide recruitment.

The new CIO is Terry Theobald, who has been assistant CIO since January 2020 and acting CIO since July 2020, when former CIO Brian Ganley stepped down.

“The county of Ventura has a well-deserved reputation for innovation with its technology,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers. “Terry’s background and experience has prepared him well to guide our talented IT employees to new levels of creativity and innovation in service of our communities.”

In choosing Theobald, county officials noted his “expertise in application and infrastructure management, strategic planning, innovation and process improvement.”

“It is an honor and privilege to be appointed to the role of CIO,” Theobald said in a county news release. “I am deeply committed to improving the lives of Ventura County residents and workers through technology. I’m looking forward to working with the IT Services organization, county agencies and all of IT’s customers to implement critical projects and continue the efforts to bring innovative solutions forward in our county.”

Theobald has more than 40 years of IT experience, including 20 years in executive leadership and 12 years in technology consulting. He joined the county as IT director for the Ventura County Health Care Agency in October 2013. Before that, he served in tech leadership roles in the private sector, including vice president of engineering for Altiris Software, chief operating officer for Omikron Systems and managing consultant for NexTier. 

In the news release, Powers stated: “Terry’s background and experience has prepared him well to guide our talented IT employees to new levels of creativity and innovation in service of our communities. Terry is passionate about the county’s mission to create a model of efficient and accessible government, helping to make sure services are accessible online and not in line. During a time when many residents have had to be remote, IT has worked to allow ease of access to services remotely. Broadband is now more important than ever as more people need high-speed Internet to work, learn and access needed services. Further enhancing broadband access, coverage and performance will continue to be an important focus in partnership with private- and public-sector partners moving forward.”   

The county noted Theobald’s work on some of the largest technology projects for the award-winning county of 846,000 residents, including:

  • The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s components of the county criminal justice system
  • The Ventura County Health Care Agency’s electronic health care system  
  • Expansion of the county’s microwave system and emergency services radio system
  • A performance upgrade of the entire county network and introduction of new telephone technology  
  • The county’s replacement of property tax technology 
Last year, Ventura County was ranked No. 1 among counties nationwide in its population category in the Digital Counties Survey program, run by the Center for Digital Government.* The recognition was for the county’s network upgrades to support COVID-19 response operations, its extensive efforts to provide telemedicine services, its Lean Six Sigma program and its STEM program, which have become county best practices. 

*The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic, parent company of Techwire, Government Technology and Governing.

Dennis Noone is Executive Editor of Industry Insider. He is a career journalist, having worked at small-town newspapers and major metropolitan dailies including USA Today in Washington, D.C.