Elyse Rosenberg, a 14-year executive at the city, is serving as its interim CIO, following the retirement of Jeff Baer. A seasoned exec with Broward County, Fla., she has been with Portland since January 2011, and was its deputy chief technology officer until stepping in as interim in January according to LinkedIn.
Baer, who had been in place since July 1, 2015, as the director of the Bureau of Technology Services, also had the “working title” of chief technology officer (CTO), said Alison Perkins, public information officer for the service areas of Budget and Finance, and City Operations.
“The working title of the Director for the Bureau of Technology Services is being updated to Chief Information Officer to better align with the technology industry’s description of the role this position plays in the City,” Perkins said in an email.
The CTO of nearly a decade was recognized in 2021 as one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers and had worked for the city since September 2001. His Top 25 profile cited his work using technology to do a better job of serving public safety, realigning related city groups and divisions within the tech services bureau to create what Baer described as “a cohesive view of all things tech-related to public safety.”
He retired July 1 according to the city and is now serving as principal of Arctos Consulting Group in Portland, per his LinkedIn profile.
The city’s next CIO should be an innovator prepared to implement its recently adopted “technology road map,” which aligns IT strategies with Portland’s own operational needs. The CIO will report to the deputy city administrator for the City Operations service area, lead a team of more than 275, and manage a fiscal year 2025-2026 operating budget of nearly $144 million. That’s according to the job posting, which opened Monday.
Portland’s job search closes May 19, according to the city’s posting. The salary for the position ranges from $172,723 to $250,973, with rounding.
