In a Friday news release, Mayor London Breed and City Administrator Carmen Chu announced that Interim Chief Information Officer Michael Makstman would be taking the CIO role on a permanent basis.
Makstman, who had been serving as the interim CIO since the December 2023 retirement of Linda Gerull, also served as San Francisco’s first chief information security officer — a role he accepted in January 2018.
“I am honored and humbled that Mayor Breed and Administrator Chu have chosen me to continue in this role,” Makstman said in the announcement. “I am excited to continue leading an amazing DT team. We are committed to ensuring city technology is secure, reliable and efficient in service of all San Franciscans.”
The Department of Technology has more than 260 employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $140 million, according to the announcement.
In an interview with Industry Insider — California earlier this year, Makstman highlighted three key priority areas for DT. They include a “back to basics” approach to address budgeting challenges, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance service delivery and expanding broadband Internet access to underserved communities through the Fair Shake Internet program.
“Our ability to improve the city’s technology infrastructure, create robust cybersecurity programs, and explore AI solutions to bolster city services is pivotal to our efforts to continue to meet the needs of our residents and staff, respond to emergencies, and protect San Francisco against real-time threats,” Breed said in the press release. “Michael is a proven leader with significant experience in these areas, and I look forward to working with him and City Administrator Chu to move San Francisco forward.”
Makstman served as CISO before being named interim CIO. He was recognized earlier this year as one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for his work in information security.
Before joining local government, Makstman was the director of technology risk management for Kaiser Permanente for nearly six years and was the manager of security and privacy services for Deloitte for more than six and a half years.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and information systems from DePaul University and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
This story first appeared in Industry Insider — California, part of e.Republic, Government Technology's parent company.
