On Wednesday, the National Association of State Information Officers has Honoré Jorge Cardenas, CIO de Brownsville, Texas, with its technological champion prize.
According to the announcement, Cardenas highlights the importance of technology for urban operations and the experience of citizens. The city, a municipality of around 186,000 residents which is on the Mexican border near the southern point in the state, attributes Cardenas to create its first information technology service. Cardenas is also recognized for upgrading the city’s network infrastructure to include wireless 5G and widen its fiber optic network.
“As a city close to the Mexico border, there are unique challenges to be met,” said Nascio’s announcement. “The improvements that Jorge have implemented should solve problems in real time such as prevent stolen vehicles from crossing the border using the technology of license plates, by detecting unmanned (air) vehicles and improving the safety of the perimeter at the airport. These (improvements) should also attract more companies in the city, create employment opportunities and make economic growth. ”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Cardenas spent eight years in the Marine Corps before taking a series of jobs in the private sector as an entrepreneur, operations director, technical project manager for various technological companies. In August 2022, he started serving Brownsville as a computer director and was appointed last year.
NASCIO has awarded its technological champion prize since 2003, each year, honoring IT managers who have made disproportionate contributions to their field and has strengthened the association’s mission to better serve the public thanks to the creation of an effective technological policy.