The Department of Technology is made up of roughly 185 staff members who are dedicated to partnering with, and providing support to all City departments to help meet ever-changing technology needs. Leading DOT staff are Director Sam Orth, and Deputy Directors Pam O’Grady and Rick Wagner.
Sam Orth, Director & Chief Technology Officer
- Data Security
Sam Orth joined Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s administration in July of 2016 as Director of Technology/CIO of the City of Columbus. Born in Columbus and raised in Central Ohio, Director Orth has spent over 40 years helping government and education use technology to create value for the residents of Columbus and Ohio.
Prior to his appointment at the City, Orth served as the Chief Technology Officer for the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network where he worked with Information Technology Centers across the state, and for five years at the State of Ohio, Ohio Office of Information Technology (OIT) where he served as the State Chief Information Officer and IT Standards Manager. Prior to joining OIT, he served as the Executive Director of the Ohio SchoolNet Commission where he oversaw over $1B in investment in educational technology in Ohio's K-12 schools. Director Orth also spent 15 years in the private sector IT where he owned his own consulting company, worked for central Ohio computer resellers and served as a Systems Engineer and Market Development Executive for Apple. His private sector career was focused extensively on K-12 and government.
Since joining the City, Director Orth has focused the resources of the Columbus Department of Technology to modernizing and implementing technology that supports the initiatives of the Mayor, and other City departments and elected offices. Major City accomplishments that have occurred since his arrival include the successful deployment of body worn cameras to all on-duty public safety forces.
Under the leadership of Director Orth, the Department of Technology has also been instrumental in efforts to support the Mayoral initiatives of CelebrateOne, a program to help combat infant mortality, and Smart Columbus, an award-winning proposal to help strengthen neighborhoods through enhanced digital inclusion efforts. Orth has also set in motion development of the City’s first centralized system for data management, and the upgrade and modernization of the City’s two data center—two major undertakings that will help enable the delivery of City services for the next fifty years.
Director Orth is deeply committed to advancing educational programs affecting the nation’s youth, and is particularly interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) focused education. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University and shares his Central Ohio home with his wife. He is also an ardent Ohio State football fan.
Pam O’Grady, Deputy Director,
Deputy Director/Planning & Governance
- Fiscal
- Account Management
- Project Management
- Columbus Television (CTV)
Rick Wagner, Deputy Director,
Deputy Director/ Operations
- Data & Mapping
- Applications
- Client & Telephony Services
- Ticketing and Support
- Infrastructure & Network