FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The City of Fayetteville has appointed Willie Henry to lead its Information Technology Department as the new Chief Information Officer (CIO), effective May 26. In this role, Henry will oversee an $8.8 million budget and be responsible for the administration and operations of the department.

Henry's extensive responsibilities include overseeing network infrastructure, telephony, GIS management, business intelligence, desktop support services, project management, and the management of servers, applications, and network infrastructure supporting the city’s E-911 communications systems.

"Willie brings over 30 years of experience in public & private sector innovation, enterprise technology leadership, and infrastructure modernization,” City Manager Douglas Hewett said. “He has a strong track record of effective staff management and development within the IT workspace, and we’re excited to welcome him to our team.”

Prior to joining the City of Fayetteville, Henry served as Deputy CIO for Gaston County, where he led IT teams and managed significant infrastructure improvements focused on enhancing security, compliance, and cloud resilience. His career also includes senior positions at Cognizant Technology Services and Sara Lee Corporation, where he spearheaded global IT transformations and cloud-first, security-focused initiatives for Fortune 500 companies.

"It is an honor to serve the City of Fayetteville in the current capacity, continuing IT's ‘Will Do’ attitude for America's ‘Can Do’ city,” Henry said. “IT is a powerful enabler of community trust, access and advancement. I am excited to continue the excellence that the City of Fayetteville is accustomed to, while setting aim on furthering the technical modernization of items within my purview.”

Henry holds a Bachelor of Science in management information systems from Winston-Salem State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Gardner-Webb University. He is also a Certified Government Chief Information Officer and holds certifications in public and nonprofit management.

Willie Johnson, who has led the department since September 2023 and has been with the city for 10 years, will assist Henry during his transition over the next month. Johnson is scheduled to retire at the end of June.