The city’s former CIO, Sharon Kennedy Vickers, announced earlier this year that she had accepted an opportunity in the private sector, working as the CEO with Software for Good. Prior to this announcement, she worked with the city of St. Paul for more than four years. Kamal Baker, the city’s press secretary, told Government Technology in an email that her final day with the city was in April.
Following her departure, Drew Nelson served as interim director of OTC.
Saint Paul, Minn.
Wascalus, who will start her new role on Nov. 9, brings to the position more than 20 years of tech industry experience in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, she served as CIO for the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities since 2018. Before her 10-year career at the university, she held the role of application developer and IT project manager at SRA International — now General Dynamics.
Supporting Wascalus in her new role will be the new deputy director and CISO Horvath, who will focus on the cybersecurity aspects of the city’s technology work. Baker said Horvath’s first day in the role will be Nov. 14.
“There are few female chief information security officers, so this opportunity is especially meaningful,” Horvath said in the announcement.
Horvath has more than 15 years of technology experience. She has been working at the state level with Minnesota IT Services since 2018 as the chief business technology officer. She has also served as a member of that Minnesota Army National Guard since 2003, and maintains her role as assistant to the director of operations for U.S. Cyber Command.
