I have the privilege of serving as the first executive over technology for the City of Seguin, TX. Seguin is a beautiful, blue-collar, old-school Texas community on the banks of the Guadalupe River about an hour south of Austin and a half hour east of San Antonio. I may not look like it, but I have been working in IT for nearly 30 years! 15 of those years were spent supporting the federal government, about 5 years in private industry, and the rest has been in support of Texas local government. As a native Texan, it's an honor to give back to my fellow Texans. I couldn't ask for anything better!
You hit the keyword there, it truly has been a journey. I grew up in a small town in Texas, part of the last generation before the proliferation of the internet/tech. As a young man, I enlisted in the Air Force and volunteered for all overseas assignments because I wanted to experience what the world had in store for me. The military gave me my career in IT and set the stage for what has been an unbelievable adventure in pursuing my professional goals. I used the GI Bill to earn my undergrad and graduate degrees. Including the 6 certifications I have, I famously spent 12 years taking night classes while working full-time and providing for my household. I met my future wife early in that process, so the journey has been a testament to perseverance, to say the least. My career has taken me around the world and back, and I live with incredible gratitude today for the opportunities I have been so fortunate to receive. I'm a guy from the other side of the tracks. Through hard work, dedication, perseverance, and maybe a little luck my dreams became reality thanks to this profession.
No, absolutely not. Far from it, I would say. Becoming a CIO was organic in nature. Moving from the federal government to private industry, then to local government allowed me to test the waters in various sectors which in turn helped me realize I am a public servant at heart. I resigned from my private industry role as the manager of North American cyber ops for a Fortune 500 company the day before I turned 40 hoping I had made enough of an investment in myself to warrant doing something career-wise I felt was more in line with who I am. I landed in TX local government and realized quickly this is what I was meant to do. One thing led to another, the opportunity with Seguin came to be, and I've been here for 5 years helping lead innovation for this wonderful community.
I've had so many it would be disrespectful to call out just one. My mentors helped guide me every step of the way, even to this day I am not shy about reaching out for feedback on something. I value life experience, and pride myself on just applying basic common sense and not having to reinvent the wheel so to speak. It seems silly to me to not lean on the experiences of others who are willing to share what has or has not worked for them.
I would be remiss not to mention my wife, that woman has been my rock for going on 20 years! None of what we have achieved as a family would have been possible had it not been for her support. She's the star in the McDaniel home, I truly am fortunate!
The same skills it takes to advance in your career today. Communication, rapport, an ability to build relationships, personal accountability, curiosity, empathy, and a desire for the greater good. I don't see that changing much personally. My career led me to work with all walks of life, different cultures, religions, and so forth. Despite having grown up in a bubble somewhat in rural Texas, what I learned by being receptive to what the world had to offer was that at the end of the day we are all people and we tend to want the same things in life. To take care of our loved ones, put food on the table, pay the bills, and enjoy life. Those folks who can walk that line of being great at what they do and also great with people will always be successful in my mind.
I consume knowledge wherever I find it. A lot of it comes from my peers and the collaborative nature of my role, part of what I love about local government is we are not competing against anybody. I can call the CIO for the city next door, or the county 10 states away. I have found we are all sort of different versions of one another, similar ways of operating with little tweaks here and there. Outside of that, I am old school and still read actual books. Of course, anything can be found online, attending events, and talking to vendors. The world is full of knowledge that can lead to personal development, you just got to be open to it.
My world of local government is a little different, we have to think about how to deliver resilient services with respect to our customer base and the roles of city employees providing services to citizens. Police and fire for instance, the technology to allow first responders to respond to those in need as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible. Being in a rapidly growing community, I see us automating more for operational efficiencies across the board.
"Put in the work, invest in yourself, and good things will happen."
Your life and career is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay true to yourself. Be a good person, treat others with respect and kindness. Presence and perseverance are superpowers, as is the ability to connect with others. Put in the work, invest in yourself, and good things will happen.
As someone that is naturally wired to be ambitious, I find my thoughts on this odd. The answer is no. The next step for me is to either move into city management or transition to a larger city in the CIO role. Maybe that'll happen down the line, maybe not. What I know today is that I am happy, and I believe I may be the luckiest CIO walking the face of the earth serving this wonderful community. We have had complete support from our mayor, elected leaders, city management, sister departments, everyone. Seguin is a special place, I'm in no rush to complicate things.
I’m someone who stays in my lane. I am who I am, I do what I do, and I’m not judgmental of others. That said, if I could change the world, I’d like society holistically to look inward and really think about what’s in their hearts. Maybe take a step back and try to be more understanding of differing ideals. Embrace our differences, be receptive to life. At the end of the day most of us just want to be happy and live a good, quality life. I can do without the constant negative rhetoric. Life's too short, enjoy the ride.
Appreciate the opportunity to share a little about myself and what we do in local government, thank you much!
A big thank you to Shane McDaniel from City of Seguin for sharing his journey to date.
If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.