Portland appoints Elyse Rosenberg as new CIO

The City of Portland has appointed Elyse Rosenberg as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), following a national search that drew more than 100 applicants. She takes over leadership of the Bureau of Technology Services (BTS), where she will oversee nearly 300 staff and a US$144 million annual budget.

Rosenberg, who has worked in public service for nearly three decades, has been serving as interim CIO since February. She previously helped develop Portland’s three-year technology roadmap and guided governance changes after the city’s Charter Reform.

Speaking to Cities Today, Rosenberg described technology as both an essential utility and a platform for innovation.

“The City of Portland is reinventing itself following major voter-approved changes in its 100-year-old form of government. Similarly, technology continues to reinvent itself. I see it as both a key utility–in many spaces, Wi-Fi is expected just like electricity–and an enabler of innovative service delivery to our community. The work of the Bureau of Technology Services is the work of the city,” she said.

Aligning with charter reform

Rosenberg said her top priorities include reimagining technology governance to ensure investments are aligned with citywide goals, strengthening accountability between service delivery partners and technology, and building more intentional structures for innovation.

“We have very innovative pockets in the city. I’ll invite them in to share and potentially scale their work,” she noted.

She also emphasised the need to mature BTS’s focus beyond internal processes to delivering inclusive outcomes for Portland residents, while investing in resilience across infrastructure, security, and services.

Equity and digital transformation

Ensuring that digital transformation centres on equity and inclusion will remain a core focus. Rosenberg said BTS will continue to improve accessibility and language access on public platforms, and involve community members directly in the design and testing of new services.

“Digital service development will include input and testing from community members, compensating community testers to both demonstrate the value of their time and expertise and to attract a more representative pool of contributors,” she added.

The city is also developing principles-based guidelines for artificial intelligence, drawing on best practices from the GovAI Coalition and the United Nations, and has already run several pilot projects.

“AI is quickly becoming ubiquitous, so policies and principles need to be balanced with the thoughtful rollout of capabilities that enable innovation and support efficient and effective service delivery,” Rosenberg said.

Strengthening cybersecurity

Cybersecurity will be another major focus under her leadership. Portland is moving toward a Zero Trust Architecture model, investing in identity and data security, and bringing in external auditors to test compliance.

“Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving risk, and every day we detect and mitigate threats to our environment,” she explained. “Perhaps most importantly, we will continue to empower our city staff through communication and training to recognise and report threats.”

Sara Morrissey, Deputy City Administrator for City Operations, said Rosenberg combines “vision, operational expertise and collaborative leadership” and will keep equity at the forefront of Portland’s technology strategy.

Image: City of Portland