County Executive Samantha Kerkman is appointing IT Services Manager Ben Taggart to serve as Kenosha County Interim Chief Information Officer following the resignation of Shawn Smith effective Aug. 18.
“We thank Shawn for his service to Kenosha County and the significant work he has done over the years to make sure the County has been able to operate effectively and keeping our systems secure. We wish him well in his next opportunity,” said County Executive Kerkman.
Smith, who announced his resignation earlier this week, began his career with Kenosha County in 2009 and has served as CIO since July 2020.
“I’ve loved my time working with Kenosha County — it has been a great place to live and work,” Smith said. “As I move to my new position, continuing my work in the public sector, I am confident that the excellent team that Kenosha County has in place will continue to do an outstanding job, and that Ben will be a great leader.”
Taggart brings over 10 years of combined public and private experience in IT and management. He joined the County in 2014 and has designed and built multiple workflow solutions in addition to countywide program administration, and fiscal and asset responsibilities. Taggart possesses a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from UW-Parkside. Prior to joining Kenosha County, he was an IT Business Analyst with ULINE.
As Interim Chief Information Officer, Taggart will guide the Information Technology team during the transition period, including coordinating countywide IT services and managing the budget process for the Information Technology Division.
“I am pleased to take on this role and look forward to continuing to provide the strong customer service, performance, and security County employees and residents rely on,” said Taggart.
Opportunities for employment with Kenosha County may be found on the Employment Information section of the county’s website, at https://www.kenoshacounty.org/jobs.