Deputy County Executive and Chief Information Officer, Oakland County, Michigan
“Being a member of the Spartan Marching Band in college and today as part of the Clarkston Community Band is all about teamwork. It’s no different in the field of security. It takes a team to ensure you are secure.”WOW FACTOR
Bertolini oversees all of Oakland County’s technology initiatives. His department’s number-one priority is cyber security. Besides protecting Oakland County citizens’ vital information against constant cyber attacks, his agency supports public safety across Southeast Michigan using CLEMIS (Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information Systems), a high-speed information-sharing application representing one of the largest crime safety consortiums in the country.
VIEW FROM THE TOP
“Due to the economic climate and the financial pressures felt in government, we’ve had to do with fewer people and less money. Technology is enabling us to do more, despite having less. Efficient collaboration using technology enhances cyber security for our citizens’ private information and enhances policing security, as with CLEMIS.”
CORPORATE CLIMB
Bertolini held a variety of jobs, from welder to groundskeeper to nightclub manager, before joining Oakland County in 1988. He moved to the information technology department as director in 2001 and was appointed deputy county executive/CIO in 2005.
CREDENTIALS
• Bachelor’s degree, telecommunications, Michigan State University (honored as one of the 2010 Outstanding Alumni for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences)
• Co-author and co-editor of “IT Budgeting and Decision-Making: Maximizing Your Government’s Technology Investments”
• Member of the Harvard Policy Group for Network-Enabled Services and Government at Harvard University
• Honored by the White House as a Champion of Change in 2012
VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
Bertolini regularly mentors students. “I tell them not to focus on the perfect resume. A degree tells me you went to college, you completed something and you can learn. Any industry still needs to teach you what you need to do. You are ahead if you take internships and learn about the real world. The world of IT is changing so rapidly that it is guaranteed to change, even as you learn about it.”
– Interviewed by Julie Baumkel
