The city of Houston has appointed Kalpana Pillai as interim deputy chief information officer, following the departure of former Deputy CIO Summer Xiao.
Pillai, who has served the last five years as assistant director overseeing enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications for the city, steps into the interim role with more than two decades of IT leadership experience across multiple sectors, including government, health care, energy and consulting. Her responsibilities now span ERP, geographic information systems, data analytics and management of cloud-based and third-party applications.
According to the city’s executive team listing, Pillai now leads both the Enterprise Application Services (EAS) division and the Project Management Office (PMO). The EAS team aligns its work with the mayor’s vision, departmental business plans and the city’s broader IT strategy, aiming to improve services and streamline operations through targeted technology initiatives. The PMO supports city departments in turning business needs into technical solutions, overseeing the delivery of major IT projects that impact residents and staff citywide.
Pillai holds a master’s degree in computer science with a specialization in information security and has managed digital transformation efforts throughout her career. Prior to joining the city of Houston, she held IT management and leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine, Puget Sound Energy, Infosys and other organizations.
The appointment comes as Xiao confirmed on LinkedIn that she has begun a new position as vice president of technology at ABM, a private-sector firm.
The city has not indicated whether it will conduct a formal search for a permanent deputy CIO.
Houston Names Kalpana Pillai Interim Deputy CIO
What to Know:
- Pillai replaces Summer Xiao, who recently left for a private-sector technology role.
- She now oversees enterprise applications, data systems and project management.
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