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For IT Leaders, By IT Leaders
Connecting Minnesota’s County IT Professionals.
Minnesota County IT Leadership Association
The Minnesota County Information Technology Leadership Association (MNCITLA) was formed in 2004 by a small group of 18 county technology leaders to facilitate ideas sharing and build a community of peers. Since then, MNCITLA has grown to a membership of over 60 counties, actively sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, and equipping county technical staff with the wealth of expertise counties large and small have to offer. MNCITLA prides itself on successfully integrating counties of all sizes into a dynamic organization. MNCITLA members represent public sector IT as subject matter experts in various policy working groups and committees regionally, state-wide, and nationally. We believe technology is a foundational part of every county operation and should treated as an integral part of county governance, as opposed to merely functioning as a support service. County technology is integral to the success of every county department and in the delivery of state services. As such, our association strives to be proactive, collaborative, and progressive.
Purpose & Goals
MNCITLA’s purpose is to support Minnesota county IT leaders through collaboration between counties, state agencies and other public sector organizations. We do this, in part, by sharing experiences, policies, and best practices between counties to further efficiencies. As an association, we act as a unified point of contact for the State of Minnesota and other public sector organizations regarding county IT issues as we advocate for our membership. Our association is currently working to:
- Promote best practices in county data/records retention policies.
- Monitor and identify trends in cybersecurity threats to county systems.
- Increase and maintain accessibility standards on county websites and digital resources.
- Partner with state agency officials to address IT issues facing county governments in delivering state services.
- Share experiences and expertise between county technology leaders.
- Advocate for state and federal policies and legislation that support county IT efforts and clarify existing statutes.
Membership Benefits
Our association offers professional development, networking, idea sharing, and advocacy opportunities to county IT professionals through various channels. Our members work in collaboration with each other to address the challenges unique to local government IT and strive to be efficient and innovative as we serve our communities. MNCITLA provides training to county IT and administrative staff in response to areas of need identified by our members.
MNCITLA Membership Map
INFORMATION SHARING WITH OTHER COUNTY TECHNOLOGY LEADERS
MNCITLA members have access to a listserv used to ask questions and share ideas. Access the knowledge of more than 60 public sector technology leaders!
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & PLATFORM UPDATES
Receive email updates regarding our association policy priorities during legislative session and provide your feedback! Member input is instrumental in forming our association positions on proposed legislation.
SHARED ACCESS TO MEMBER COUNTY POLICY & PROCEDURES DOCUMENTS
Access our document repository containing policies, procedures, job descriptions and other resources from other member counties.
ATTEND OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Your paid membership includes an invitation to our annual conference including the conference fees and food (hotel and travel not included). Our annual conference includes presentations from state and national technology experts.
Listservs Offered by MNCITLA
DIRECTORS
Membership is granted to the IT Director/CIO or appointed technical manager for each MNCITLA member county. Annual membership dues are required for this listserv. Discussion items are often managerial, policy/procedural, legislative, strategic, budgetary or technical in nature, and are shared in confidence between members of the group.
TECHS
Membership is free and granted to any county personnel who wish to have a resource to participate in a wide range of technical discussions and troubleshooting. This group is a place for help desk, support analysts, system/network engineers and other county employees involved in a technical support role at their county. This discussion is open to anyone interested MN county employee in the role of technical support.
DISTRICTS
Counties are grouped into six districts. Directors will be added to their respective district's listserv. These district listservs are used for region-specific conversation and to organize in-person or virtual district meetings that occur in the spring and fall each year.
MNCITLA Teams Channel
MNCITLA has a Microsoft Teams Channel that is available to all dues-paying Directors and is hosted by the Association of Minnesota Counties. The Teams Channel has real-time discussions, event postings, scheduled meetings, and our document center. If you would like to be added to the Teams CHannel please reach out to MNCITLA Executive Director, Nathan Zacharias, nzacharias@mncounties.org
MNCITLA Board Members
Our Board is comprised of four officers elected by our general membership, and six regionally selected district representatives. They represent rural and metro county IT departments from around Minnesota and function collaboratively as a governing body to meet the needs of MNCITLA. Along with our Executive Director, the Board works to create professional development and idea-sharing opportunities for our association, as well as build our legislative platform. They are here to serve you, while you serve your counties!
Brent Birkeland
Information Technology Director, Douglas County
CHAIR
Amy Middendorf
Information Technology Director, Morrison County
VICE CHAIR
Jason Lohrenz
Information Technology Director, Murray County
SECRETARY
Karri Harvey
Information Technology Director, Blue Earth County
TREASURER
Nathan Zacharias
Association of MN Counties Technology Policy Analyst
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Upcoming Events
See our full calendar for a complete list of scheduled MNCITLA events. For additional information, contact Nathan Zacharias at nzacharias@mncounties.org.