The city of St. Louis is digging a little deeper on tech – hiring its first-ever chief technology officer and changing its overall approach to information technology.

The new CTO is Robert Gaskill-Clemons, a former Washington state enterprise technology architect from the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Mayor Lyda Krewson announced on March 13. His first official day was March 5, Emily Thenhaus, the city's media and engagement strategist, told Government Technology.

But Gaskill-Clemons wasn’t the mayor’s only recent appointment. Krewson also named 23-year city hall staffer Cindy Riordan as the new chief information officer.

Riordan, who has already assumed her new post, is no stranger to tech; she’s handled technology upgrades at the Citizens' Service Bureau, the city's Department of Streets and elsewhere, the city said in a news release.

Announced jointly, the two new hires reflect a new, somewhat unified perspective on technology, Thenhaus said.

“As of recently we have not had a CIO. We have had a director of IT. We have shifted into the CIO model to partner with the CTO,” Thenhaus said.

Among his responsibilities, Gaskill-Clemons will explore ways the city can use technology to improve the lives of its citizens. He’ll also be the liaison between St. Louis and the region's tech and innovation sectors, the city said.

Riordan, who was sworn in on Dec. 28, will lead the city’s Information Technology Services Agency, which was established by ordinance in 2003 and leads the planning, development and implementation of tech and information services for the city, residents and businesses.

With the two on board, officials will ensure that St. Louis “is making the best use of 21st-century technology for our 21st-century city,” Krewson said in a statement.

“That means improving how residents get information and assistance from city government, streamlining the way city departments and agencies work together, using tech solutions to solve public problems, and making sure that residents and businesses in all parts of our city have access to the technologies that will help them succeed,” the mayor continued.

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