When I first started in IT, the CIO’s job was clear: keep the systems running. You managed your infrastructure, made sure the network stayed up, and kept support tickets moving. In the world of utilities, that meant ensuring operational continuity, managing risk, and delivering internal service.

But over the years—especially in public utilities—I’ve seen the job transform into something far more expansive. Today, the CIO is no longer just a tech lead—we’re civic architects. We’re designing systems that do more than function. We’re building digital infrastructure that aligns with community values, supports public policy, and helps cities respond to real-world challenges like climate resilience, digital equity, and sustainability.

Technology as a Civic Tool

Technology in the public sector isn’t about chasing the latest trends—it’s about serving people. That’s a mindset shift, and one that CIOs in critical infrastructure must fully embrace.

Every time we implement a new system—whether it’s a smart grid solution, a customer-facing water portal, or a cybersecurity upgrade—we’re not just solving a technical problem. We’re influencing how people interact with their city. We’re shaping how resources are distributed. And we’re setting the tone for transparency, trust, and accountability.

I’ve always believed that if we only ask, “Does this work?” we’re asking the wrong question. We need to ask, “Who does this serve? Who might it leave out? And how can it bring people closer to the services they rely on every day?”

That’s what a civic architect does—balances functionality with responsibility.

Building Systems That Reflect Policy, Not Just Process

In utilities, we sit at a powerful intersection between data, operations, and policy. We gather enormous amounts of information about how people use water and electricity, how infrastructure performs, and where vulnerabilities lie. But if we’re only using that data to optimize internal systems, we’re missing the bigger opportunity.

Take something like rate design. While it might seem like a purely financial decision, the technology behind how we collect, process, and present usage data shapes the entire conversation. If customers can’t access their usage in real time—or if the system doesn’t flag high-use anomalies for vulnerable households—then we’ve missed a chance to help both the city and its residents.

CIOs must work closely with policymakers to ensure that technology supports—not hinders—long-term goals like conservation, affordability, and transparency. That means thinking not just like engineers, but like citizens.

Accessibility and Equity in Infrastructure

Digital transformation can improve access to services—but it can also widen gaps if we’re not intentional. As more utilities move services online, CIOs must lead the charge in making sure those services are accessible to everyone.

That includes:

• Designing mobile-friendly platforms for customers without desktops.
  
• Supporting multilingual interfaces in diverse communities.
  
• Ensuring compliance with accessibility standards for people with disabilities.
  
• Making sure digital tools don’t unintentionally favor certain income levels or geographic areas.
  

During my time at Austin Water, we launched a digital portal to help customers better understand their water use. But before we rolled it out, we tested it across different user groups—from seniors to low-income households—to make sure it was clear, helpful, and inclusive. Because if technology leaves someone behind, it’s not truly serving the public.

Long-Term Vision in a Real-Time World

One of the hardest parts of being a CIO in public infrastructure is balancing short-term performance with long-term planning. Everyone wants results—fewer outages, better service, faster apps. But a civic architect has to think 10, 20, even 30 years ahead.

How will today’s system integrate with tomorrow’s smart city strategy? What kind of data privacy risks might emerge as AI becomes more embedded? How will climate change affect the technology infrastructure needed to manage water or power demand?

These are not just IT questions. They’re leadership questions. And the CIO must help the entire organization think in timeframes that extend beyond the next upgrade cycle.

That’s why I always advocate for CIOs to be at the executive strategy table—not just reporting on KPIs, but helping define what success looks like for the community, now and into the future.

Trust Is the True Infrastructure

At the heart of public utilities is a relationship: between the city and the people it serves. That relationship depends on trust. And increasingly, that trust is mediated through technology.

People trust that their water bill is accurate, their outage information is current, and their personal data is protected. They expect systems to be secure, stable, and transparent. And when those expectations aren’t met—whether due to a cyber breach or a poor user experience—it reflects not just on the tech, but on the city itself.

As CIOs, we are stewards of that trust. We must lead with integrity, communicate with clarity, and advocate for systems that serve not only efficiently—but ethically.

Leading With Purpose

Being a CIO in a public utility today is about more than keeping the servers running. It’s about building infrastructure that strengthens communities, not just systems.

We are not just technologists—we are civic designers. We are not just problem-solvers—we are strategic partners in the public mission. And the choices we make—about what to build, how to build it, and who it serves—will shape our cities for decades to come.

Let’s choose wisely.

The post The CIO as Civic Architect: Building Systems that Serve, Not Just Function appeared first on David Johnson.

In every utility I’ve worked in—whether electric or water, public or private—I’ve seen the same story unfolding quietly behind the scenes: experienced employees retiring in waves, taking with them decades of institutional knowledge. And it’s not just technical expertise that’s walking out the door—it’s local insight, crisis-tested judgment, and the kind of know-how you can’t find in a manual.

The utility sector is facing a generational shift. Many of the people who built and maintained our infrastructure for 30 or 40 years are leaving. At the same time, digital transformation is accelerating, customer expectations are rising, and the complexity of our systems is growing.

It’s a challenging moment—but also an opportunity. As a CIO who’s led teams through modernization, I’ve come to believe that preserving institutional wisdom through mentorship, documentation, and thoughtful succession planning is just as important as any technology investment we make.

Mentorship Isn’t Optional—It’s Mission-Critical

I wouldn’t be where I am today without mentors. Early in my career, I had leaders who took the time to explain not just how things worked, but why they were built that way. They taught me how to lead with purpose, make decisions under pressure, and balance innovation with reliability—skills that aren’t written in job descriptions.

Now, decades later, I find myself in the mentor’s role. And I see clearly how vital it is to intentionally create space for mentorship in our organizations.

In utilities, where safety, continuity, and public trust are on the line, you can’t afford to assume the next generation will “figure it out.” Yes, they’re smart and capable, but without context—without the institutional story—they’ll spend years rediscovering lessons we could have passed down in hours.

That’s why I’ve encouraged every senior staff member I’ve worked with to mentor someone. And not just in formal programs, but informally too: walk-throughs in substations, shadowing during board presentations, open-door policy for questions. Knowledge is most powerful when it’s shared, not stored.

From Tribal Knowledge to Transferable Wisdom

One of the biggest risks in any utility is “tribal knowledge”—information that only exists in someone’s head. Whether it’s how a legacy system reacts under certain loads, or which switch in a rural substation tends to stick after a freeze, these small details matter. And when they’re lost, they can slow down response time, increase costs, and in some cases, lead to safety issues.

In my roles, especially during digital modernization efforts, I’ve worked hard to capture that knowledge before it disappears. That means:

• Documenting not just processes, but context and rationale.
  
• Recording incident response stories, including lessons learned.
  
• Creating playbooks that reflect both standard procedures and historical nuances.
  
• Encouraging senior staff to narrate what they’re doing and why, especially during unusual scenarios.
  

You don’t need a massive knowledge management platform to do this well—you just need discipline, structure, and a culture that values wisdom over ego.

Succession Planning: More Than Replacing a Role

Too often, succession planning is treated like a checklist item—something to do when someone announces their retirement. But in utilities, where leadership and technical expertise are often intertwined, succession must be a continuous process.

I’ve always approached it by asking: If this person left tomorrow, what would walk out with them? What relationships, what undocumented knowledge, what decision-making judgment?

That kind of planning forces you to think deeper. It’s not just about putting names in boxes—it’s about building resilience. It’s about cross-training, giving emerging leaders stretch assignments, and gradually shifting responsibility—not dumping it all at once.

In one utility I worked with, we began succession planning two years before a key SCADA supervisor was set to retire. We paired him with a younger engineer, gave them joint project ownership, and built in weekly debriefs. By the time the supervisor retired, not only was the engineer ready—he had the full confidence of the team. That’s what success looks like.

Blending Old Wisdom with New Tools

Passing down knowledge doesn’t mean resisting change. In fact, it should enable it.

I’ve found that some of the best digital transformations happen when we pair seasoned field operators with younger data analysts or engineers. The veteran brings context, pattern recognition, and field-tested insight. The new staff brings fresh eyes, tech fluency, and curiosity.

Together, they build systems that are both innovative and grounded in real-world needs.

We should stop thinking of knowledge transfer as a one-way street. It’s a conversation—between generations, between perspectives, and between what’s worked in the past and what could work better in the future.

The Heart of a Utility Is Its People

In the rush to modernize infrastructure, automate systems, and meet regulatory demands, it’s easy to forget that people are the true backbone of public utilities. They’re the ones who know where the cables run, how the community reacts in a crisis, and what leadership really looks like when the pressure is on.

That kind of knowledge can’t be replaced by AI or replicated by sensors. It has to be passed down—through mentorship, documentation, shared experience, and trust.

If we fail to do that, we don’t just risk operational setbacks. We risk losing the very heart of what makes our systems work.

The post Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Passing Down Institutional Wisdom in Public Utilities appeared first on David Johnson.

When people think of leadership, they often imagine someone at a podium, commanding a room, delivering bold messages and rousing speeches. That’s one kind of leadership—but it’s not the only kind. And in my experience, it’s not the kind that keeps the lights on or the water flowing.

In the world of utilities—where public trust, operational reliability, and technical complexity collide—the most effective leadership is often quiet. It’s steady, grounded, and rooted in listening more than speaking. As someone who has spent decades leading technology teams in electric and water utilities, I’ve learned that successful transformation doesn’t come from grand gestures. It comes from building trust, empowering others, and staying calm when everything around you is moving fast.

The Weight of Responsibility

Leading IT and cybersecurity in a utility isn’t like working in a typical corporate setting. You’re not just managing servers and systems—you’re safeguarding critical services for entire communities. A mistake can mean outages, safety risks, or loss of public confidence.

That weight is something I’ve never taken lightly. Whether at ERCOT, EPB of Chattanooga, or Austin Water, I’ve always believed in leading with humility. People expect leaders in our field to be decisive, and we should be. But they also need us to be thoughtful, measured, and available—especially during a crisis.

Quiet leadership doesn’t mean being passive. It means showing up with clarity and confidence, even when there’s pressure to react loudly or quickly. It’s about knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to let your team step into the spotlight.

Trust Is the Real Infrastructure

You can invest in all the best technology in the world—cloud platforms, smart grids, real-time analytics—but if your team doesn’t trust you, it won’t matter. Trust is the foundation of any successful organization, especially in high-stakes environments like utilities.

As a CIO, I’ve always tried to lead by example: show up on time, admit when I don’t know something, and follow through on commitments. That kind of consistency builds confidence. It tells your team that you’ve got their back—even when things go sideways.

I’ve also made it a point to involve the people closest to the work in decision-making. Field operators, network engineers, customer service reps—they often have the clearest view of what’s working and what’s not. Listening to them isn’t just polite—it’s smart leadership.

Leading Through Disruption

Digital transformation in the utility space isn’t easy. You’re often dealing with legacy systems, tight budgets, regulatory oversight, and operational teams who are (rightly) focused on safety and reliability over experimentation.

When I’ve led major tech upgrades—like helping build one of the first fully automated electric grids at EPB or deploying predictive analytics at Austin Water—it wasn’t just about the systems. It was about guiding people through change. And people don’t resist change because they’re stubborn—they resist it because they’re uncertain.

That’s where soft skills become your most powerful tools. Empathy, patience, clarity—these are the things that help people move forward. I’ve spent hours walking through substations with operators, talking through data visualizations with engineers, and reassuring frontline teams that new tech won’t make them obsolete. That kind of presence matters.

Listening Is a Leadership Skill

One of the most underrated leadership skills is the ability to truly listen. I don’t just mean hearing words—I mean understanding what people are trying to say, even when they’re not saying it directly.

Over the years, I’ve learned that behind every technical concern is often a deeper worry: about job security, mission drift, or cultural change. If you can tune into those concerns and respond with honesty and care, you’ll build alignment far more effectively than if you just push a plan through.

Quiet leadership means asking good questions and being comfortable with silence. It means giving people space to think, speak, and feel heard. In my experience, that builds stronger teams and better outcomes—every time.

Making Space for Others to Lead

One of the most fulfilling parts of my career has been watching others grow into leadership roles. I’ve always believed that part of my job is to create space for others to lead—to delegate authority, not just tasks.

In utilities, where succession planning and institutional knowledge are critical, growing leaders from within is essential. It ensures continuity, builds morale, and strengthens the organization from the inside out.

I’ve seen team members go from hesitant contributors to confident leaders because someone gave them trust and opportunity. That’s the kind of leadership legacy I care most about—not what I did, but what I helped others do.

Staying Grounded in Service

At the end of the day, utility work is public service. Whether we’re dealing with a new cybersecurity protocol or a citywide infrastructure upgrade, our job is to serve people—quietly, consistently, and with integrity.

That’s what quiet leadership is really about. It’s not about drawing attention to yourself. It’s about staying grounded, guiding others, and keeping the mission front and center.

I’ve never needed a spotlight to feel successful. Seeing my team thrive, watching systems perform under pressure, and knowing that communities are safer and stronger because of our work—that’s more than enough.

The post Quiet Leadership in Critical Infrastructure: Lessons from the Utility CIO Chair appeared first on David Johnson.

When people hear about the deregulated energy market in Texas, they usually think about policy, economics, or headlines about electricity prices. What rarely gets discussed—but played a critical role—is the technology behind that transformation.

I had the opportunity to work at ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) during one of the most defining periods in the state’s energy history. As we transitioned from a vertically integrated electricity model to a deregulated, competitive marketplace, the pressure was immense. We weren’t just changing rules—we were rewriting how electricity was managed, priced, and delivered across a grid that serves over 26 million Texans.

But none of that could happen without technology. And behind every successful policy change was a team of engineers, IT professionals, and systems experts making it possible.

Laying the Digital Foundation for a New Market

Before deregulation, electricity was a one-way street. Power flowed from a utility-owned plant to your home, with one company handling everything from generation to billing. Deregulation split those functions apart—introducing competition in generation and retail while keeping transmission and distribution regulated.

To support that shift, we had to design systems capable of handling market transactions in real time, across dozens of companies. That meant building platforms for energy trading, demand forecasting, system balancing, and financial settlement—all while keeping the grid stable and secure.

One of our first tasks was to modernize the way we communicated across stakeholders. This required not just software upgrades, but deep integration between operations, IT, policy, and compliance. We had to ensure that every participant—generators, retailers, utilities—could interact with ERCOT’s systems in a standardized, transparent, and secure way.

In short: deregulation required us to take one of the most complex, mission-critical infrastructures in the country and make it flexible, dynamic, and fast.

Matching Policy with Platform

The policy goals of deregulation were clear: increase efficiency, foster innovation, and lower costs through competition. But policies are only as strong as the systems that support them.

One of our biggest challenges was ensuring that new market rules could be enforced through technology. That meant translating policy into logic: If a generator failed to deliver power, how would penalties be calculated and enforced? If a retail provider switched customers, how would the change be reflected in billing, forecasting, and load balancing?

This was where technology became the bridge between theory and practice. Every system we built had to account for fairness, accountability, and transparency. Every outage report, pricing signal, and load forecast had to be accurate, timely, and secure. And when we made a mistake—because mistakes happen—it had the potential to ripple across the entire market.

Resilience in the Face of Pressure

With great transformation comes great scrutiny. ERCOT operates under the microscope of regulators, market participants, media, and the public. During my time there, we navigated major storms, infrastructure stress tests, and cyber threats—all while keeping the transformation on track.

One of the proudest moments of my career was watching our systems hold steady under extreme load conditions. The resilience we built into our technology—redundancy, backup protocols, real-time visibility—was not glamorous, but it was essential.

At the same time, we knew resilience wasn’t just about machines. It was about people. We invested in training, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership that could adapt under pressure. That culture of preparedness and professionalism carried us through some of our toughest moments.

Bridging the Gap Between IT and Energy

One of the unique aspects of working at ERCOT was that it sat at the intersection of two very different worlds: traditional energy operations and fast-moving information technology. That intersection was where most of my time was spent—and where I saw the biggest opportunities and risks.

Utilities aren’t always known for moving quickly, and for good reason. Stability and safety are paramount. But IT systems, especially those supporting markets and real-time operations, require agility. As CIO, I often found myself acting as a translator—helping operations teams understand the value of new tools, while guiding IT teams to appreciate the critical nature of reliability and compliance.

This balancing act was one of the most challenging—and rewarding—parts of the job. It forced us to rethink old assumptions, find common ground, and build systems that honored both speed and safety.

What We Built Still Matters Today

Many of the systems we put in place during the early years of Texas’s deregulated market are still in use today—though constantly evolving. That speaks to the strength of the foundational work we did, and to the foresight of the teams who built it.

More importantly, it speaks to the power of collaboration. Deregulation wasn’t just a policy shift; it was a collective effort involving technologists, grid operators, legal experts, and community leaders. Everyone had a stake, and everyone had to work together.

As a technologist, it was deeply fulfilling to be part of something that combined innovation with public impact. We weren’t just building platforms—we were shaping how a state delivers one of life’s most essential services.

Lessons for the Next Generation

The energy landscape continues to evolve. Renewables, battery storage, distributed energy, and climate resilience are introducing new complexities—and new opportunities. As we look to the future, the lessons from ERCOT’s transformation still hold true: strong technology, guided by sound policy and clear leadership, can drive meaningful change.

But none of it happens in a vacuum. It takes vision, collaboration, and a deep understanding of both infrastructure and innovation.

I’m proud of the role I played in that transformation—and grateful for the people who made it possible.

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