SAN FRANCISCO, CA—City Administrator Carmen Chu announced the transition of Jillian Johnson, Director of the Committee on Information Technology (COIT). COIT is the City governance body that makes decisions about the future of San Francisco technology. Johnson, who led COIT to implement multiple citywide technology policies and make funding decisions about critical technology projects, will continue to serve the City as the Chief of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
“Jillian has been a valued member of the City Administrator's Office through various roles, most recently as the Director of the Committee on Information Technology where she helped to set citywide priorities on IT investments," said City Administrator Carmen Chu, who chairs the Committee on Information Technology. "While we will miss her steady leadership on the financial planning process and on thorny issues of surveillance and privacy, I am thankful for her service and excited to see Jillian continue to grow in her career with the City."
During her time as the Director of COIT, and under the direction of the committee, Johnson oversaw the implementation of policies to help make San Francisco’s technology systems and platforms more resilient, equitable, and accessible to all San Franciscans. Policies passed, implemented, or both under Johnson’s leadership include:
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San Francisco’s privacy and surveillance technology ordinance, codified in Administrative Code 19B;
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Digital Accessibility and Inclusion Standard, which established requirements for making web content and services accessible; and
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Technology Resilience Standard, which helps ensure that the City’s IT systems remain operational and effective during emergencies.
Johnson also analyzed and helped to fund critical IT projects that strengthened the City’s technology landscape and worked to improve efficiencies in the City’s surveillance technology review process. During her tenure, COIT developed and passed its largest ever multi-departmental Surveillance Technology Policy, which established requirements for use of social media monitoring tools for 28 City agencies, and published its first ever Annual Surveillance report, covering the City’s surveillance technology inventory.
“These accomplishments are all owed to the hard work of many IT professionals across the City,” said Johnson. "It is no small feat to keep our critical IT systems secure and running while modernizing our infrastructure and maintaining the City’s values of privacy and transparency. Yet, these are the very things San Francisco’s public servants do daily, and it’s been an honor to support their work during my time in this role.”
Johnson began her career with the City on the City Administrator’s Budget and Planning Team. Prior to becoming the Director of COIT, Johnson worked in the Mayor’s Office of Public Policy and Finance, San Francisco Permit Center, and Department of Public Health, where she managed budget initiatives related to behavioral health services for people experiencing homelessness. In 2020, Jillian was chosen to serve as a Project Lead for Mayor London Breed’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. There, she organized roundtable discussions with business leaders, labor advocates, and City officials to advise the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on how to support businesses and jobs in response to the pandemic.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree at UCLA and a master’s degree in public administration from a dual degree program at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. Her last day with the Committee on Information Technology was December 1, 2023. Deputy City Administrator Katie Petrucione is serving as the interim director of COIT during the search process for the next director.
The City Administrator’s Office will begin a search in the new year for the next Director of COIT to lead the committee in developing technology-related budget and policy initiatives.