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Kerrica Laake has over 30 years of local government experience and for over twenty years she has successfully engaged leadership teams, stakeholders, customers, staff, and vendors to create innovative, customer driven, community focused technology solutions for the Austin community. 
Kerrica Laake, Chief Information Officer, City of Austin
As the Chief Information Officer for the City of Austin, she focuses on digital transformation efforts that will help the city modernize its technology portfolio and improve the digital experience for employees, the community and business operations. Additionally, her teams provide the essential IT services that the City depends on daily.
Kerrica is a University of Texas alumna and she’s active in the Austin technology community serving as an advisor to the SIM (Society for Information Management) Austin Board of Directors and sits on the ACC Continuing Education IT Advisory Board. She was awarded the Statescoop Local IT Leader of the Year Award in 2023 and the Best New CIO Award from the Texas Technology Consortium in 2024.
Kerrica holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Texas State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management Information Systems from Texas Tech University, equipping her with a robust technical and business acumen. She has extensive expertise in IT leadership, strategic planning and digital transformation. Her background includes over two decades of experience in public sector technology, with a strong focus on enhancing government services through innovative, secure and efficient IT solutions.
Insights about Professional Journey and Current Responsibilities
I grew up in a small town outside Dallas-Fort Worth and later attended the University of Texas at Austin. I wanted to stay in Austin over the summer and secured an internship with Austin Energy, the city’s electric utility, where I gained valuable experience in public communication in the electric utility sector. After graduation, I joined Austin Energy full-time, holding various roles in communications and later in web technology, which bridged my interest in both communication and technology.
My role evolved from an analyst to an IT project manager, then to managing teams and eventually becoming a division manager in Austin Energy’s technology branch. Three years ago, I applied and won the deputy CIO position in the city's centralized technology organization. A year and a half ago, I was appointed interim CIO, and just over a year ago, I became the full-time CIO for the City of Austin.
Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in numerous significant projects. For example, during Texas's potential deregulation, I played a key role in public communication, explaining its implications for Austin residents and city employees. In the technology sector, I contributed to developing early payment portals that were pivotal in modernizing Austin’s customer billing systems.
In my current role, I’m deeply committed to leveraging technology to enhance the city’s services. One notable project involved deploying a chatbot for the city's animal shelter during COVID. This technology drastically reduced the overwhelming volume of emails and improved community engagement, demonstrating the ways technology can address community needs. My career in public service has always been driven by the desire to make a positive impact on the community, using technology to improve the quality of life in Austin.
“Technology is not just about innovation; it’s about creating meaningful connections that enhance the quality of life for communities. Staying curious, aligned and open to new ideas allows us to leverage technology to drive lasting change.”
Technological Advancements Impacting Public Sector Technology Adoption
We're currently focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and its strong connection to data and data governance within an organization. We've implemented early chatbots in the city and now our goal is to enhance user and community experiences with the next generation of virtual assistants powered by generative AI. We see AI as a force multiplier, enabling us to streamline operations, work more efficiently and better utilize our resources.
It's crucial that we act as responsible stewards of the city's data to adhere to basic data hygiene principles. This will in turn, enhance the effectiveness of AI for our community. All these efforts fall under the broader umbrella of digital experience, where our focus is on our community, our employees and our commitment to providing city services. Digital transformation and the technologies that support it are vital to our future, with AI being a key component that ties together all our ongoing initiatives.
AI encompasses various technologies, including machine learning, but we'll start to see its basic capabilities increasingly integrated into the platforms we use daily. At the City of Austin, we're preparing for this by considering essential factors like privacy, security, technical capability and the data literacy needed to fully enable these advancements. Quantum computing is also on our radar as a potentially transformative technology, though we'll need to monitor its development over the next three to five years to understand when and where it will have the greatest impact on our organization.
Strategies to Enhance the City of Austin's Digital Capabilities
Last year, we focused on defining our digital transformation strategy by thoroughly analyzing the portfolio of programs we deliver for the city. The goal was to ensure these programs aligned with our strategic priorities, like improving public safety and affordability in our rapidly growing city, Austin, which is currently the 11th largest in the nation and projected to be among the top five by 2100.
It was crucial to define a clear digital transformation strategy supported by solid practices to improve city services. Over the past year, I concentrated on IT governance and enterprise architecture to ensure our portfolios are well-governed, appropriately sized and agile.
We are currently in the process of developing a framework for our goals. Enterprise architecture plays a crucial role in this process by allowing us to consider the city's overall needs while also addressing the specific requirements of individual departments. This approach ensures that each department has the necessary resources and capabilities to succeed in their respective areas of business.
The strategy involves governing operations holistically to enable departments as needed and foster enterprise-wide discussions. Communication and visibility are key components to ensure alignment in technology production and delivery to provide a consistent and positive experience for our community across all city services.
Effective Principles for Guiding and Motivating Teams
People want to ensure their work is valuable to their organization, so it's crucial to align their efforts with the organization's goals. Having a strategic plan that clearly ties individual roles to the broader objectives of the department or city is key. This alignment helps employees understand their place within the larger government structure.
Effective communication is also vital. People need to be informed about what’s happening, when it’s happening, and how it impacts them. I've created a log for our organization to keep everyone updated on important leadership initiatives and how they connect to our technology efforts.
Given our hybrid work model, maintaining strong connections within the team is essential. Even though most of our technology staff works virtually, we ensure they stay engaged and understand how their contributions support the city's goals.
Focusing on tailored development opportunities for employees based on their distinct strengths and the technologies they work with is crucial. Investing in training, especially in rapidly changing technology is essential to build a strong and adaptable workforce. Allowing employees the time and resources to stay up-to-date with technological advancements will ultimately benefit the organization.
Advice for Senior Leaders and Upcoming Professionals
Curiosity is always valuable. The natural desire to understand what's needed and why and how to achieve it, is crucial—especially in design, where starting with the end in mind is key. Understanding the vision you aim to achieve, the capabilities required and what success looks like for the end user of the technology is essential.
For leaders, maintaining this curiosity is important. Engaging in conversations and being inquisitive about the needs within the organization helps identify the technologies that can deliver customers’ demands. It's about understanding the capabilities required and the problems that need solving.
It is also essential to embrace other crucial attributes like engaging in conversations, being open to communication and being receptive to feedback. Leaders must be willing to admit when they're wrong and recognize that there are others within the organization that are more focused and dedicated to specific aspects of the discipline. Listening to these individuals and aligning their insights with the overall vision and needs of the organization is crucial.
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