City staffer graduates from CGCIO program


Ms. Erris Dunston, Community Development, Planning and Information Technology Coordinator for the City of Henderson, has successfully graduated from the 2009 Certified Government Chief Information Officers Program (CGCIO) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

Erris Dunston November 2009
Erris Dunston

The CGCIO program is the first local government specific program for Chief Information Officers in the nation and began in 2005. The program is designed for local government information technology directors and chief information officers whose responsibilities require a broad understanding of management, leadership, and enterprise topics. The course is approximately 240 hours in length. Course instruction covers enterprise issues, strategic technology planning, communication, project management, emerging trends, risk assessment and management, acquisition management, change management, leadership, security, legal issues and financial trends.

Dunston is one of the 29 public-sector employees who have successfully completed the course this year. Over the course of its five-year existence, the CGCIO program has graduated over 300 public sector IT professionals. According to City Manager Ray Griffin, “Erris is a valued member of the City’s leadership team and accepted the challenge of managing the IT system. Her willingness to participate in this training course will allow her to help move the City’s IT system to the next level. I am very proud of the good work that she does for the City and for graduating from this program.”