As part of Industry Insider — California’s ongoing efforts to inform readers about state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.
John Dankha is the chief information officer for the city of Huntington Beach. He joined the city in 2021 as a senior information technology manager and was quickly appointed to the CIO role in June 2023. He brings more than two decades of public- and private-sector experience — most recently as a data center manager with the city of Long Beach, where he helped to coordinate data center moves as part of a massive IT infrastructure overhaul.
He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.
Industry Insider — California: As CIO at your organization, how do you describe your role? How have the role and its responsibilities changed in recent years in terms of their intersection with IT and innovation?
Dankha: Early in my career in the private sector, I recognized that IT is fundamentally a service delivery organization. This service needs to be provided in a proactive way to ensure secure, reliable and accurate solutions. Adopting the mantra of “We are your technology partner,” the word “partner” being essential in emphasizing the need for our Information Services (IS) team to take ownership and be fully vested in the solutions and services we provide. We are truly partners in the sense that we need to understand the business process, culture, needs and strengths, then be able to provide consultative services to explore options and creative ways to maximize benefits and reduce costs. I believe this aspect provides the biggest opportunity for innovation.
As technology becomes increasingly integral in all aspects of city operations and projects, there is mounting pressure on our staff, including myself, to be more nimble and well-rounded in understanding not only the overall picture but also the nuances and details of business processes and flows for every operation in the city. In effect, we are a managed service provider (MSP) for 12 different verticals, with varying needs, workflows, cultures and approaches.
IICA: Does your organization have a strategic plan, and may we hyperlink to it? How big a role do you personally play in writing that strategic plan?
Dankha: We do. Within the last year, our City Council and city executive leadership worked diligently to create a multiyear strategic plan. The plan can be found here: https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/government/departments/city-manager/StrategicPlan.cfm
Every department director, including myself, was involved in facilitating and refining the strategic plan based on the direction and priorities set by our City Council.
IICA: What big initiatives or projects are coming up? What sorts of developing opportunities and RFPs should we be watching for in the next six to 12 months?
Dankha: IS is currently either spearheading or heavily involved in over 70 ongoing projects. Among these, around a dozen are IS-based initiatives, from modernizing our infrastructure and applications to increasing our resiliency and continuity of operation plans (COOP). Of utmost importance is always cybersecurity and disaster recovery as outlined specifically in the strategic plan. Keep an eye out for RFPs pertaining to these areas, along with other forthcoming initiatives.
IICA: In your opinion, what should local government be doing more of in technology?
Dankha: I consider myself fortunate to live and work in Huntington Beach. I have lived in HB for over 30 years, and I simply love our city. I take personal pride in my role and the work we collectively do for the city. I experience it firsthand when I see a police car or a fire truck on their way to help someone in need. Or when I walk into a library or a community center and I know they are all operating because of the technology we deploy and support. For me, this is more than just a job; its personal. I also know most of the people I work and interact with at City Hall and in various facilities throughout the city share a similar sentiment.
I hope, and I wish, that all local government technology organizations run the same way with the same dedication, enthusiasm and hard work.
IICA: How do you define “digital transformation?” How far along is your organization in that process, and how will you know when it’s finished?
Dankha: I like to think of “digital transformation” as a continuous process, as such it does not have an end date. Technology continues to progress, evolve and transform itself. We have the duty and responsibility to continue to transform, adapt and implement.
A significant part of our focus is to improve and modernize our processes and service delivery. We have already digitally transformed many of our large systems such as our permitting and inspection system, document system, internal processing and workflow approval system, to mention a few. We are well on our way in this process, but we can always do better.
IICA: What is your estimated IT budget and how many employees do you have? What is the overall budget?
Dankha: In round numbers, the IS budget is $8.5 million out of a $500 million overall city budget with 25 IS employees.
IICA: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors, including via social media such as LinkedIn? How might vendors best educate themselves before meeting with you?
Dankha: I am inundated with business introduction proposals via email, LinkedIn and phone calls daily. Regrettably, I have very little free time to respond back unless it is something I am actively looking for at that time.
My biggest rule for a vendor or a potential vendor is to be direct, prepared and honest. Do not oversell and over promise. Familiarize and educate yourself on the needs and the latest news of the city of HB through social media, initiatives published on the website and council agenda items before reaching out. Given that technology is at the center of almost everything the city does, there is always a direct correlation between what’s discussed and approved in council meetings and the workload and needs of IS.
IICA: In your tenure in this position, which project or achievement are you most proud of?
Dankha: Keeping the lights on. I am so proud of our staff in the IS department. We run tremendously lean while providing a full-service technology stack for the entire organization, including public safety. We do it well and with extreme dedication. While day-to-day operations are often overlooked when in IT evaluations, it consumes a significant amount of our time and resources, and I always like to highlight that as our biggest and most effective “project” we do. That being said, building out and supporting the technology needs for our special events such as the Air Show, large outdoor concerts, Fourth of July parade and others are always fun and a good change of pace.
IICA: What do you read to stay abreast of developments in the gov tech/SLED sector?
Dankha: Anything I can get my hands on. I rely on news and financial websites as well as professional social media platforms. Additionally, I find select tradeshows to be a good source of information. Trusted vendors and free local seminars serve as a valuable and cost-free source of information along with maintaining contacts in surrounding local cities and municipalities.
IICA: What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy reading?
Dankha: I used to be an avid reader, but nowadays my demanding day-to-day workload, coaching my kids’ multiple soccer teams and volunteering as a board member for the local recreational soccer league leaves me with limited time and energy for extensive reading.
An unknown fact about me, I used to be a devoted and professional nature and landscape photographer. I owned and operated my own photography gallery on Main Street in Seal Beach for many years.
