A former director of information systems for
the CIA, has become the City of Akron’s first chief technology officer and will
supervise all technology services in all municipal departments.  Rick A. Leu, 50, will also review
all purchases of technology equipment before they are made and will be responsible for all
of the technical support and applications development personnel currently working in other
departments.
In making the appointment, Mayor Don Plusquellic said,
"This move comes from a recommendation originally made in the ImagineAkron:2025 report that suggested the city must do
more to improve in this area if it wanted to remain a competitive force." Plusquellic
went on to say, "A technology committee made up of
experts from the private sector was formed as a result of that recommendation. It studied
the matter and urged us to bring on board a tech expert."
Most recently, Leu was senior director of operations and
data centers for AT&T Broadband in Denver. Prior to that, from 1986-2000, he worked
for the CIA. He has an M.B.A. from Shenandoah University and is currently working towards
his Ph.D. in information technology from George Mason University.
Leu said he was eager to get started on the job, which he
officially begins September 19, one day before his 51st birthday. "I have
been involved in nearly every sector of information and technology management over the
last 18 years. This is a tremendous opportunity for me to create a structure that will
help provide the citizens of Akron with a municipal government that is at the forefront in
the world of information and technology."
To assist in filling the new position, the City employed
B&H Solutions, a search firm located in its Bath Township Joint Economic Development
District. The company pointed out that in the private sector, this position would pay in
the area of $150,000.00 annually.
The new position pays an annual salary of $111,280.00.
Plusquellic pointed out nearly two years ago in a news
conference that he would not fill the position of public utilities commissioner in
anticipation of the creation of this new position. Neither did he fill the vacancy left
when the former head of the City’s management information systems division retired in
January of 2003.
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