Nashville appoints Shawn Smith as CIO

Metro Nashville has appointed Shawn Smith as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), who will oversee digital services and IT systems across the city’s consolidated government.

The mayor, Freddie O’Connell, announced that Smith will lead the Metro Department of Information Technology Services (ITS), which supports more than 50 agencies, employs 170 staff and manages a budget of US$64.5 million.

Smith replaces Keith Durbin, who retired in 2024. John Griffey, who has served as interim CIO since Durbin’s departure, will return to his previous role as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

Speaking to Cities Today, Smith said the scale and complexity of Nashville’s government and its rapid growth were key factors in his decision to take on the role.

“I was drawn to Nashville for a few reasons,” he said. “First, the scale and complexity of the role supporting 712,000 residents across a consolidated city-county government is exactly the kind of challenge I’m looking for at this point in my career.”

“Nashville is experiencing tremendous growth, and I’ve seen how important it is for technology to keep pace with that growth. When cities expand rapidly, IT can either enable that growth or become a bottleneck, and I’m excited to help ensure it’s the former here.”

Smith joins Nashville after leading technology operations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in city and county government. He also previously served in the United States Air Force.

Smith said his early priority will be to understand how Nashville’s IT teams and systems currently operate before introducing new initiatives.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you have to listen before you act,” he said. “In both Kenosha County and Cedar Rapids, I spent my first several months meeting one-on-one with department heads and staff not to pitch solutions, but to understand what they were actually dealing with day-to-day.”

He said building trust across departments is essential to ensuring technology teams support real operational needs.

“I try to carry that listening approach with me anywhere I go,” he added. “That builds trust and keeps you from making assumptions about what people need.”

Smith also stressed the importance of strong internal teams and reliable systems as the foundation for innovation.

“The team is the most critical part,” he explained. “Providing them the tools, resources and framework to create excellence means the organisation can rely on IT when they need us. When the basics work well and people know they can count on IT, that’s when you can pursue the bigger strategic work.”

Supporting citywide services

The ITS department supports technology systems used by more than 50 agencies across Nashville’s government, covering a wide range of services from administration to frontline operations.

Smith said delivering value across such a diverse set of departments requires balancing shared systems with flexibility.

“Each department has unique needs,” he commented.” What works for one agency might not work for another. The key is understanding what ‘value’ actually means to each department.”

He added that common infrastructure and clear processes for prioritising technology investments can help create consistency across the organisation while still supporting different operational needs.

“The goal is balancing enterprise standards that create efficiency with the flexibility departments need to accomplish their missions.”

O’Connell said Smith’s leadership will help strengthen Nashville’s technology capabilities as the city continues to grow.

“Shawn Smith’s leadership experience demonstrates technical know-how combined with modern vision and planning to ensure Metro has the best information technology systems that support and secure all that we do,” he said.

Image: Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com