LINCOLNTON––Chris Jones is amongst a host of graduates of an important Chapel Hill-based program.

According to Lincolnton City Manager Ritchie Haynes, Jones, the City’s technology and innovation director, recently took part in the University of North Carolina School of Government Certified Government Chief Information Officers Program.

As Haynes informed this week, the 19-year-old program is the first local government-specific program for chief information officers in the nation. It’s designed for local government chief information officers, information technology (IT) directors and other senior IT leaders within the public sector whose challenging responsibilities require a broad understanding of management, leadership, legal, regulatory and enterprise topics. The course, some 240 hours in length, covers strategic technology planning, effective communication, emerging technology trends, risk assessment and management, acquisition management, change management, leadership, cyber security and legal issues related to technology.

The program's director, Dr. Shannon Tufts, was recognized 14 years ago by Government Technology magazine as one of the “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers” for the creation and expansion of this nationally-acclaimed program. The program seeks to elevate the position of the dedicated and talented group of public-sector technology leaders who work tirelessly to serve the public good through strategic investments in technology.

Jones is one of the state’s 40 local government, state agency, community college and K-12 education IT leaders who successfully completed the course this year. Over the span of its existence, the program has graduated more than 2,000 public-sector technology leaders across the nation.