Richard F. Lewis Chief information Officer/Director, City of Houston, Information Technology Department

Richard has more than 30 years of professional experience in both the public and private sector. His strengths as a financial manager, strategic planner and organizational change agent have brought significant improvements to the governmental entities that he has served. Richard has held numerous positions with the County of Dallas and the City of Dallas including Assistant City Manager. Richard has served the City of Houston in many capacities providing executive oversight on behalf of the Mayor beginning in 1991 as the Director, Finance and Administration; Acting Director, Building Services; and Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.

In June, 2002, after a brief stint in the private sector, Richard was asked to return to the City of Houston and serve as the Chief Information Officer/Director for the newly created Department of Information Technology. Richard has citywide responsibility for overseeing the City's highly decentralized information technology environment with expenditures of $90 million annually and chairing the Technology Steering Committee. Richard's accomplishments include implementing collaborative IT management citywide, reducing technical support cost for the 3-1-1 call center and excess telephone circuits citywide, centralizing network management and stabilizing a new $12 million public safety communication and record management applications at the Houston Emergency Center. His current IT projects include: completing a three phase citywide network upgrade and redesign costing $15 million; standing up a new $10 million integrated case management system for the Municipal Court (where he is also Acting Chief Clerk); implementing SAP for financials/purchasing on July 1, 2007 and HR/Payroll on January 1, 2007 at a cost of $25 million; implementing enhancements in the Houston Police Department IT organization and environment of approximately $15 million over the next three years; replacing the City's 450 MHz public safety radio system; and soliciting proposals for the financing and management of a region-wide WiFi network.

Richard is active in the community by serving on numerous boards and in his church and supporting various charitable causes.