City Council Approves Steffen as Chief Information Officer

City Council Approves Steffen as Chief Information Officer

Published on October 27, 2025

The Lincoln City Council today approved Carl Steffen as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Lincoln and Lancaster County. Steffen has served as the interim CIO since February 2025. The Lancaster County Board is scheduled to vote on Steffen's appointment at its meeting Tuesday, October 28, and if approved, he would begin serving immediately.

"Carl has already demonstrated strong leadership and a clear vision for how technology can enhance service delivery to our organization and the community," said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. "We are excited to see him continue that work as Chief Information Officer, guiding the City and County toward even greater innovation and service to our residents."

Prior to becoming Interim Chief Information Officer, Steffen served as the Enterprise System Administrator for the Information Services Department since 2022. Before joining the City, he was the Network and Systems Administrator for Cornhusker Bank where he managed the information technology team, and Chief Solutions Architect for Don't Panic Labs.

"It's an honor to have the opportunity to serve our community. We have a fantastic team in the Information Services Department with whom I'm proud to stand. We strive to find operational efficiencies that allow all departments and agencies to get more out of the technology investments they've made. I'm proud of the progress we've made in the past eight months and am excited about the road ahead," Steffen said.

Steffen received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004. In addition to working for, founding, and partnering numerous software technology startups, Steffen served in the Army National Guard from 1998 to 2005.

The Information Services Department provides technology support exclusively to City and Lancaster County government agencies. Its mission is to help local government work smarter by delivering secure, reliable, and cost-effective technology solutions. The department's work includes application development, network infrastructure, data analytics, and cybersecurity, ensuring agencies have the tools they need to operate efficiently and safely.