Waco hires new CIO as Brownsville technology chief departs

One Texas city is welcoming a new Chief Information Officer, while another is preparing to say farewell to its CIO.

Gustavo Alba, pictured above left, has been hired by the City of Waco. He has more than 20 years of IT experience in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, he served as Frisco’s MIS Technology Supervisor. Earlier in his career, he was Senior Manager of Infrastructure and Operations for Dallas. He has also worked for the New York City Department of Education.

Alba’s first day on the job as Waco’s CIO will be Sept. 28.

“Gustavo brings a valuable combination of technical expertise, municipal experience and people-focused leadership to Waco,” Waco City Manager Ryan Holt said in a written statement. “Technology touches nearly every service we provide, and Gustavo understands both the complexity of that environment and the importance of being a strong partner to our employees and departments.”

Meanwhile, in Brownsville, CIO Jorge Cardenas, pictured above right, is preparing to depart. He announced this week on LinkedIn that his final day with the city will be Oct. 2.

“After an incredible journey serving as CIO for the City of Brownsville, I’ve made the decision to begin the next chapter of my life,” he said. “When I look back, I’m incredibly proud of what we built together. We strengthened our technology and cybersecurity foundation, expanded fiber and smart infrastructure and pushed the boundaries of what a city can do with AI and emerging technology.

“But what I’m most proud of isn’t the technology. It’s the people and the team we built. I had the privilege of leading some incredible people who believed in the vision, challenged what was possible and worked hard every day to move Brownsville forward.”

Cardenas joined the City of Brownsville in 2022 as its first CIO after spending time in the private sector.