Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – A national recruitment is underway for a successor to Liza Massey, who is retiring as the County of Marin’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) after eight years leading the County’s technical team. Massey’s final day as CIO of the Department of Information Services and Technology (IST) was July 31.
After Massey took the department’s reins in May 2018, County IST was regularly recognized as a leader among local governments when it came to modernizing customer services and digitizing internal practices. Key milestones in recent years included enhanced digital accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), cross-sector collaborations with the Digital Marin program, boosting connectivity in Marin’s lightly populated areas, widely circulating cybersecurity best practices, utilizing geographic information systems (GIS), and establishing a long-range strategic plan for the County to keep pace with fast-moving technology.
"The entire county benefitted in many ways from Liza's leadership, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency the County faced with launching so many online services all at once,” said County Executive Derek Johnson. “Communicating vital information about public health and business operations became an urgent priority almost overnight, and IST stepped up under pressure in a big way."
Earlier this month, County IST earned a major honor for its innovation, leadership, and real-world impacts during the National Association of Counties annual conference. It was the second time under Massey’s leadership that the department was nationally recognized as the top digital county within its population category of 250,000 to 499,999.
"As I retire after 39 years in government IT, I leave with gratitude rather than goodbyes,” Massey said. “I have been fortunate to witness remarkable technological advances, but the most meaningful part of my career has been the people, especially my exceptional IST team, our County partners, and the communities we serve. I leave with immense pride in all we accomplished together and complete confidence in what IST will continue to achieve.”
Prior to her Marin role, Massey was CIO for the State of Tennessee’s Department of Human Services, for which she spearheaded the launch of many new mobile applications and online services. Earlier, Massey led the nonprofit Nashville Technology Council, worked as an independent consultant, and founded and managed a private consulting firm for the public sector. Her municipal career included stints leading information technology departments for the City and County of San Francisco, the City of Los Angeles, and City of Milpitas.
Angie Goldman, assistant director of IST, has been appointed as the interim CIO while the County conducts an extensive recruitment process. An appointment is expected by early October.
County IST has a 2026 budget of $24.6 million and a workforce of 95. It’s mission statement is “Connecting people and government through innovative, accessible technology solutions.”