Henderson, Nev., Taps Russell Nelson as Acting Director of IT

Russell Nelson has stepped up to serve as acting director of IT for the city of Henderson, Nev., where he has been serving as deputy CIO since 2013.

Alyssa Rodriguez was the city’s previous director of IT, a role she took on in January 2020 following the retirement of longtime CIO Laura Fucci. Rodriguez has been with the city since 2008 in various capacities, as part of its technology and public works teams.

Although she is no longer leading Henderson’s IT department, Rodriguez is still with the city.

The City Council on July 16 approved City Manager Richard Derrick’s appointment of Rodriguez as chief infrastructure officer/assistant city manager.

“Henderson is an incredible organization, and I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Rodriguez in a LinkedIn post about the appointment.

The city’s IT Department webpage lists Russell Nelson as the acting director. Nelson brings more than 35 years of IT management and executive-level experience to the role, per the city’s Meet the Director webpage. Of those, nearly 11 have been with the city’s IT Department as deputy CIO.

Nelson’s other experience includes serving as deputy CIO and interim CIO for Clark County, Nev., during nearly six years at the county; as chief operating officer and chief technology officer for Global Gaming Systems; and as vice president of software engineering for MGM Mirage. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in management information systems from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A city spokesperson did not respond by deadline to a request for comment.