Business Chief USA October 2019

make sure that the culture is ready
and accepting, because otherwise it
just creates resistance. We sometimes
think of innovation as these big-ticket
items, but it’s important to figure out
a way to allow people to innovate
themselves, to be comfortable with
change and to be able to make
suggestions on how things could be
different.” For Jeffress, it’s crucial to
remember the role of people amidst
the technology transformation.
“Although we’re implementing a lot of
technology and a lot of digital transformation,
one of the things that really
remains important is making sure
that you hire the right people. That’s
especially true in technology where
it’s a continuing challenge due to the
low unemployment rate and number
of open positions.”
The IT department itself can act as
a harbinger of change for surrounding
organizations, as Jeffress explains.
“The City of Aurora has about 21
different departments. The IT organization
here supports all of them, so we
have to be very aware of what’s going
on in each to ensure we’re in a place
where we can help them to succeed.
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EXECUTIVE PROFILE
Aleta Jeffress
Aleta Jeffress is the Chief Information and Digital Officer for the
City of Aurora. She has over 20 years’ experience as a successful
executive business leader and technologist building
relationships between business and technology to enable
digital transformation and market growth. She drives
innovative strategies for business and IT leadership,
and has developed teams for Cybersecurity and Project
Management Offices from the ground up. Her career
began in startup software companies where she
started in a call center environment and moved
through private and public sector organizations in
the areas of software quality, development, product
management, security, and ultimately leadership.
www.businesschief.com