Phoenix City Manager Appoints CIO, First Innovation Officer

Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher has appointed new members to the city’s executive team. Steen Hambric will serve as CIO while Michael Hammett will serve as the city’s first chief innovation officer.

Kathleen Gitkin was also appointed as the city’s chief financial officer.

According to a statement from Zuercher, “Kathleen, Steen and Michael have a solid track record of serving the interests of our residents at the highest level, including spending wisely, taking an innovative approach to issues facing our city and engaging the community to be part of the solution.”

As the city’s first chief innovation officer, Hammett will focus his efforts on building the city’s 2021 gold certification from What Works Cities and lead Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge initiatives, performance measurement reporting, dashboard projects and other citywide innovation efforts.

Hammett joined the city of Phoenix in 2006 as a public information officer and served as the lead communication contact for the city council. Most recently, he served as deputy communications director.

As for Hambric, he will lead the city’s Information Technology Services department and federated IT management services, including Sky Harbor International Airport, Water Services, police and fire.

Prior to being named CIO, Hambric served as the acting chief information officer since May 14, 2021.

Previously, Hambric worked for the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years in high-level information technology leadership positions and served 11 years as a combat engineer officer for the Army National Guard.

“They each bring unique skills and experiences that will enhance our diverse executive leadership team,” Zuercher said in the release.