Stockton Names Tech Veteran Niazi to IT Director/CIO Role

Jamil Niazi, a longtime technology leader with a deep background in the public and private sectors, has been named IT director for the city of Stockton.

Niazi most recently served as division manager for infrastructure and cybersecurity for the city of Concord, overseeing IT infrastructure, 911 public safety systems, and cybersecurity. In that role, he and his team also managed video/voice systems, data centers, disaster recovery/business continuity, network, storage and various server platforms.

“I am humbled and honored to be appointed as the new CIO for the city of Stockton,” Niazi told Industry Insider — California on Friday. “After pondering several competitive offers for similar roles, I chose the city of Stockton because of its executive leadership and its passion and vision for technology.”

Niazi succeeds Norbert Ruijling, who was Stockton CIO until May, when he took the role of chief innovation officer for the city of Tracy.

In his new role, Niazi “provides expert professional assistance to the city management staff on innovation, automation, cybersecurity and team building,” according to his LinkedIn profile. He manages a team of 52 IT professionals providing support to more than 1,600 customers and is responsible for guiding and governing city technology focused on business solutions, reliability, innovation and customer satisfaction.

Regarding Niazi’s move to Stockton, Concord IT Director Greg Taylor said in an email to his city’s IT team: “Jamil has been key to greatly improving our cybersecurity posture, stabilizing our network, and implementing innovative solutions like Pure Storage and the Rubrik disaster recovery system. He’s also shown strong leadership and vision that has elevated the city’s infrastructure to some pretty high heights.”

Niazi’s previous government roles include serving as IT director for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, IT manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, chief information officer for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and IT manager for the Contra Costa Water District. In the private sectors, his previous affiliations include Alameda Health System, Ross Stores and Crescent Mortgage Co.

Beyond local government, Niazi serves on the cybersecurity subcommittee of the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC). He also serves on an electronic-crimes task force for the U.S. Secret Service.

Niazi has numerous professional certifications and credentials. He is a graduate of California State University at Northridge, where he received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and where he tutored students in math and science.