City of Seattle selects new CTO: Shannon Smith is longtime public-sector tech executive

Shannon Smith, an experienced public-sector technology executive, will be the City of Seattle’s next chief technology officer.

A city spokesperson confirmed to GeekWire that Mayor Katie Wilson made the selection, which has not been announced publicly. Smith’s first day will be June 8.

Smith is currently a Seattle-based director at CAI, a global IT and business services firm, where she helps U.S. cities and counties with strategic planning, change management, and tech department operations.

She has more than 10 years of experience working in technology with Seattle-area government agencies, including as a senior IT manager with the City of Seattle between 2014 and 2017. Smith also served as the City of Bellevue’s applications lead for technology business solutions for almost two years.

As a CIO chief of staff with King County for more than five years, she provided oversight for enterprise technology investments, innovation, and operational improvements. According to her LinkedIn, Smith was “accountable for all technology implemented during the King County-Seattle Public Health’s COVID-19 response.”

Seattle began its search for a new CTO in March after Rob Lloyd left the post to become executive director of the Center for Digital Government. Lloyd was named CTO in June 2024 after eight years as deputy city manager of San José, Calif.

The CTO reports to the mayor and is the city’s principal technology leader, setting the overall vision and strategy of information technology resources and management of Seattle IT.

Smith will lead an organization of 633 employees and manage an annual operating budget of $280 million with a capital budget of $20 million. 

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