Lea Eriksen is the Director of Technology & Innovation and CIO for the City of Long Beach and is passionate about advancing digital equity and using emerging technology and data to solve civic challenges. Lea has over 20 years professional local government experience in budgeting, finance, technology and project management, as well as 15 years of experience serving on non-profit boards and committees. Recognized as a Top 10 Digital City 11 years running, Long Beach is undergoing a massive technological change through the new state-of-the-art civic center, development of a modern Enterprise Resource Planning system, digital transformation, and investments in cybersecurity. As CIO, Lea is in charge of implementing the City’s technology vision, developing a staff of 180 FTE and managing a $70 million annual budget. Previously, as the Assistant Finance Director of City of Long Beach, Lea led the development of the City’s $2.6 billion budget. Earlier she rose through the ranks at the City of Cincinnati and as Budget Director, she led the development of that City\’s $1.4 billion budget.

Since 2013, Lea has been a member of the Board of Directors for Twinless Twins Support Group International, a non-profit organization, where she currently serves as immediate Past President and chairs both the Audit & Finance and Diversity & Inclusion Committees. Lea recently joined the Board of Advisors for the Southern California Society of Information Management, the region\’s largest and most respected non-profit organization serving and led by IT leaders. Lea also serves as a City Representative on the Board of Long Beach Transit. In the past, she has also served on the Board for the Center for Addiction Treatment and in numerous committee roles for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Cincinnati District Committee.

Lea graduated cum laude from Miami University and has an MBA from Xavier University. She has received honors including Government Technology Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, Cincinnati Business Courier Class of Forty Under 40, YWCA Academy of Career Women of Achievement Rising Star and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Early Careerist Award.