As part of Industry Insider — Florida’s ongoing efforts to inform readers on state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.
Michelle Taylor is the chief information officer (CIO) for Leon County. She has more than 25 years of public-sector IT experience, including serving as a computer programmer, IT manager and IT director for the Florida State University College of Law. She also served as the director of IT operations/network and technical services manager for Leon County before starting her role as CIO in January 2020.
Taylor holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Florida State University (FSU). Notably, she obtained these degrees during a time when very few women were in the program. Sometimes, she recalls, she would be the only woman in the classroom. She also attained the Certified Government Chief Information Officer certification through FSU’s Florida Institute of Government.
Industry Insider — Florida: As CIO of your organization, how do you describe your role? How have the role and responsibilities of the CIO changed in recent years?
Taylor: I started in the role of chief information officer in January 2020. Little did I know we would be dealing with a pandemic in the next two months. While the CIO role has always included crisis management, this was different than what was required in the past, as it had broader impacts and would last longer than any emergency we have ever encountered.
Cybersecurity has certainly become more of a focus than ever before and artificial intelligence (AI) with its potential impacts on our plates. While emerging technologies have always been the focus for a CIO, the cybersecurity focus demands a new way of thinking.
IIFL: In your tenure in this position, which project or achievement are you most proud of?
Taylor: A key moment in my career was assisting in the construction of a high-tech Public Safety Complex in collaboration with Leon County and the city of Tallahassee, hosting vital services like the Emergency Operations Center and the Consolidated Dispatch Agency (CDA). My role involved coordinating technological needs for multiple agencies, ensuring smooth operations from data centers to individual requirements. I led technical teams, defined needs, allocated responsibilities and secured funding alongside the building project manager. The collaborative efforts of the sheriff's office, city of Tallahassee and FSU made the project smooth. This project is personally significant as my son is a firefighter, making my contribution to his safety meaningful.
IIFL: What projects will you be looking to fund in the upcoming fiscal year?
Taylor: Cybersecurity remains a top priority, and we are committed to continuously enhancing our cybersecurity measures. We regularly evaluate our existing solutions, explore new options and maintain agility to meet the evolving demands of maintaining a secure environment. Our modernization efforts will persist, albeit paced by staffing and funding constraints.
Look out for the launch of our revamped Leon County website in March, representing a significant improvement. Additionally, we are nearing completion of a long-term project to enable online permit processing through the website, greatly simplifying the building permit acquisition process for our development community.
IIFL: What big initiatives or projects are coming up? What development opportunities and RFPs should we watch for in the next six to 12 months?
Taylor: We’ll be looking for a solution to replace the large video walls within the Public Safety Complex, integrating them with our sound systems across the complex and the Emergency Operations Center. Additionally, we plan to update our virtual server infrastructure.
IIFL: How do you define “digital transformation”? How far along is your organization in that process, and how will you know when it’s finished?
Taylor: I define digital transformation as making improvements through technology that streamlines or improves existing processes. Digital transformation will never be finished and is a constant in IT. We’ll never be done with making technological improvements to help our customers. This is the essence of what we do on a daily basis!
IIFL: What is your estimated IT budget, and how many employees do you have? What is the overall budget?
Taylor: Leon County government has the second-lowest staff ratio per capita in the state. Our overall IT budget is approximately $12 million, but when you compare that to other government agencies, most only support a single agency, while we support 40 departments in varying degrees. We have a total of 58 employees, which includes 12 that make up a joint county-city world-class GIS program (46 IT professionals and 12 GIS professionals).
IIFL: What do you read to stay abreast of government technology/SLED sector developments?
Taylor: I read online articles in Government Technology* magazine and studies from institutions of higher education. I am also a member of the Florida Local Government Information Systems Association (FLGISA) and on the board for Government Technology’s Advisory Committee. I also listen to various podcasts to stay abreast of government technology and state- and local-sector developments.
IIFL: What do you think is the greatest technological challenge in Florida?
Taylor: For Leon County government, the greatest technological challenges are budget and adequate technology staffing. Finding quality technology staff to fill vacancies can be a struggle familiar to many organizations. Developers seem to be the hardest positions to fill.
IIFL: What advice would you give someone who would like to lead an IT department?
Taylor: I would advise someone new to IT that wants to lead an IT department to find ways to lead technical projects and expose themselves to multiple IT roles as they progress through their IT career. To effectively lead an IT department, I would advise respect and advocate for each employee, build personal connections, support your employees’ personal needs while providing honest yet respectful feedback to help them succeed. Taking a corrective action when necessary for team consistency and to find ways to reward and celebrate both professional and personal achievements to foster a cohesive IT team.
IIFL: If you could change one thing about IT procurement, what would it be?
Taylor: Florida statutes allow SLG (state and local government) entities to procure from state contracts as an “eligible user”; however, when the statute was written to include Alternative Contract Source (ACS) options, “eligible users” were left off; therefore, there is no existing statute that allows SLG entities to take advantage of these ACS contracts. I would love to see this change in the statutes so local governments could easily take advantage of these purchasing contracts.
IIFL: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors, including via social media such as LinkedIn?
Taylor: This varies depending on the vendor. If it is an existing vendor that partners with us, then most of those vendors already have direct access to me by phone or email. If it is a prospective vendor, then work email or phone is best. If there is a need, I or someone from my staff will follow up. Because of public records requirements, I never respond directly to vendors via social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Also, avoid using robo-dialers or masking your real number. Real vendors don’t use those.
IIFL: How might vendors best educate themselves before meeting with you?
Taylor: At least knowing that I represent county government, not city or school board, and being aware of the services the county government provides is helpful.
IIFL: What professional or affinity groups do you belong to? Do you volunteer?
Taylor: I am a member of the Florida Local Government Information Systems Association. Being able to share information with my peers is extremely valuable and important to our continued success. It is amazing how this group of fine public servants are so willing to help each other. I also volunteer on GovTech’s Advisory Board for the Florida Digital Government Summit, Florida IT Leadership Forum and the Florida Public Sector Cybersecurity Summit.
IIFL: What conferences do you attend?
Taylor: I try to attend both FLGISA conferences each year, along with events like the Florida Digital Government Summit, IT Leadership Forum and Florida Public Sector Cybersecurity Summit. I have remotely participated in the National Association of Counties CIO Forum and occasionally attend vendor conferences.
IIFL: What are you reading or listening to for fun? What do you do to unplug in your downtime?
Taylor: I have a 2-year-old granddaughter that I love spending time with. Seeing the world through her fresh eyes is extremely rewarding. I also enjoy long weekend trips with my husband, and the entire family on getaways to St. George Island, SeaWorld Orlando and St. Augustine. I also enjoy gardening. I am currently reading Cyber Mayday and the Day After, by Dan Lohrmann.
*Industry Insider — Florida and Government Technology are both a part of e.Republic.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for style and brevity.
Leon County CIO: ‘My Role Is to Support Staff Personally and Meet Organizational Needs’
