Hannah announced she was stepping down from the position May 1, and Mendel was tapped to fill the role in an interim capacity, according to an email from a county spokesperson.
Mendel first joined the county government in August 2005, holding various positions, including radio communication services manager, regional services manager and emergency radio communications division director.
As the county’s first regional services manager, Mendel oversaw the King County wide area network, institutional network, telecommunications and the cable office.
As emergency radio communications division director, Mendel was responsible for working with jurisdictions throughout King County on the planning and implementation of the $300 million Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network.
Prior to that, he served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, earning the rank of senior chief petty officer.
As interim CIO, he will pick up where Hannah left off until a permanent replacement is named, according to the county spokesperson.
“Tanya was appointed King County CIO in 2018 and spearheaded numerous technology projects and improvements to help customers quickly and simply access information and services,” an email statement from a county spokesperson said. “She helped the county radically change the way it operates and delivers services.”
