Brian McKee to become Honolulu’s new CIO

Brian McKee has been named as the incoming Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City and County of Honolulu.

McKee, a seasoned IT professional with extensive experience in government and utilities, will also head the Department of Information Technology (DIT). He will succeed Mark Wong, who is due to retire in January after 12 years of leadership.

“[Wong] has built a great foundation for the city, standardising on one operating system, supporting a common deployment platform, and ensuring solid network, application, and data security,” McKee told Cities Today. “I look forward to meeting the staff, understanding our strengths, and identifying ways to further enhance services for Honolulu residents.”

With nearly a decade of leadership at the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) and time spent as IT manager for the City of Sacramento, McKee brings a track record of implementing industry best practices and driving transformative change. At BWS, McKee spearheaded an IT modernisation plan that automated processes and won international accolades.

“I look for processes that are common across multiple departments, and I look at how those processes are solved at leading government and private organisations,” he said. “Then I analyse if those new processes would benefit us, and if we could adapt our current practices to become more efficient.”

More data available to more people

McKee’s plans include enhancing Honolulu’s digital infrastructure and citizen engagement.

“The easiest way to make government more transparent is to make more data available to more people,” he said. “People now expect a certain level of performance from IT systems in everyday life. They browse, select and buy items on a mobile device every day and want the same rules to apply for their government services, usage fees, taxes, parking, reservations, etc.  That level of service, that consistency, and that responsiveness is what we are striving for in our interactions with the public.”

During the transition, McKee will meet with department stakeholders to identify bottlenecks, streamline processes, and prioritise “quick wins” to improve services.

McKee, whose official tenure begins 2 January, 2025, will start in an interim capacity on 2 December, shadowing Wong to ensure a seamless transition.

Image: City and County of Honolulu/McKee