Insider Takes: Northern California CIO on Planning, Modernization

Guided by its inaugural chief information officer, one North Bay city is forging a comprehensive vision for enterprise-level IT and updating key technology systems.

Savita Chaudhary is the first-ever chief information officer (CIO) and director of information technology at the city of Fairfield, where previously IT had been a division under the purview of the city manager’s office. Chaudhary, whose public-sector experience spans two decades, joined Fairfield in October 2021 from Berkeley where she had been CIO for more than six years, guiding technology across 14 departments. She holds a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in statistics, both from Delhi University where she graduated with honors; and a master’s in public administration from Golden Gate University where she was a member of the dean’s list. Chaudhary is also a graduate of UC Davis’ Executive Leadership Program.
Among the initiatives underway at Fairfield, officials are developing a GIS master plan, a cyber resilience plan and the city’s first-ever digital strategic plan. Chaudhary said her goal is to create a digital center of excellence where the plans may be fused into a “comprehensive vision for the city, of where we want technology to be in five years.” Fairfield just launched its first-ever digital playbook and is migrating its timecards off paper. In late August, the city received a grant for a little over $12 million from the Federal Transit Administration, the CIO said, for transit electrification, including five electric buses and an electric vehicle charging station.

And, Chaudhary said: “I would love to see something come out on fire prevention and early detection. That is a technology that a lot of cities need, because of climate change and the fires that had a huge impact to our city in 2020.” The LNU Lightning Complex Fire that year burned in the hills around cities including Fairfield, destroying nearly 1,500 structures total and killing six.