Leadership

Chief Information & Artificial Intelligence Officer (CIAIO)

André Mendes became the Chief Information & Artificial Intelligence Officer (CIAIO) for Tarrant County Information Technology in January 2024 where he consistently demonstrates expertise in driving organizational excellence across diverse industries. Mr. Mendes’ technology career launched during the microcomputer revolution of the 1980s and took him all the way to the era of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. His career has included the United States Department of Commerce as its Chief Information Officer, overseeing 14,000 employees and a budget of $3.8 billion dollars, the International Trade Administration, as well as the US Agency on Global Media, Special Olympics and PBS.

André’s Operating Principles

Although my long-term goals encompass a wide spectrum of areas within my life, they are best described by a set of principles that govern my thoughts, direct my actions and ultimately govern my life. They are:

       I.          Pursuit of meaningful positive impact on every endeavor I undertake.

      II.          Pursuit of knowledge, self-awareness, and consonance in all my thoughts.

     III.          Pursuit of execution of excellence in everything I do.

     IV.          Pursuit of happiness for myself, my family, friends, acquaintances, and all people.

Although these principles might sound too lofty or ethereal, by guiding all my actions, they end up having a very practical impact on both my day-to-day occurrences and my long-term results. As I apply them to my professional life, I find that they help me make good employment choices, guide me through the constant and ever accelerating change that permeates any modern work environment, allow me to perform at the very highest levels of functioning while simultaneously being deeply fulfilled. Like most others, I strive for professional success and recognition, I pursue wealth and a comfortable living, and I yearn for health and happiness. I would like to think that the operating principles I just described contribute to my odds of, not only achieving these things, but also enjoying the outcomes of those pursuits.