News Flash

Cress selected to serve as Assistant County Manager / Chief Information Officer

Rowan County Chief Information Officer Randy Cress has been promoted to Assistant County Manager / Chief Information Officer. 

Cress has over 18 years of experience in local government and was appointed to the position of Director of Information Systems in October 2015.  Cress’s new role in part will include improving the organizational structure, process, technology and staffing levels of the County’s plan review, permitting and inspections.  County Manager Aaron Church stated, “Randy will lead several departments through a transformation that will focus on modernization of the County’s entire permitting and inspection process from start to finish with a strong focus on customer service to all applicants.  This will be a complex process that will take two to three years to implement.  These cross-departmental activities occur in multiple functional areas including: planning, building, fire, environmental management and environmental health.”

Under Cress’s leadership over the past five years, the Information Technology Department has been restructured to improve IT services, including infrastructure; cloud-based application delivery; geospatial programs; business technology processes; and social media.  Cress has placed an emphasis on cybersecurity and awareness training for all County employees.  His department received the National Digital Counties Survey Award in 2017 and 2019 for maximizing the value of technology in serving Rowan County with innovative initiatives.

Cress is currently a board member of the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association (NCLGISA), which fosters collaboration and sharing of technical knowledge among North Carolina local governments and school systems.  He serves as the NCLGISA IT Strike Team Leader for the North Carolina Western Region, responding to natural and cyber events across the State.  He assisted State and local governments during Hurricanes Florence and Matthew and during several significant cyber incidents.  He also serves on the North Carolina 911 Board Technology Committee that is responsible for providing guidance and implementation of the North Carolina Next-Generation 9-1-1 platform. 

Cress was born and raised in Rowan County.  He graduated from West Rowan High School and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Catawba College and Master of Public Administration Degree from Appalachian State University.  Cress is a Certified Government Chief Information Officer and earned a certificate in County Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Cress is currently enrolled in the National Association of Counties (NACo ) Leadership Academy.

He and his wife Dacia, have been married for 24 years and have one daughter.

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For Questions please contact Aaron Church at 704-216-8180