Leadership shuffle at Travis County

The Travis County Commissioners Court on Thursday appointed a temporary replacement for outgoing Chief Information Officer Tanya Acevedo. The court voted 4-0, with Commissioner Gerald Daugherty absent, to promote John Stark to the interim CIO position. Stark has been with the county for more than eight years. He told the Austin Monitor that he actually came along around the same time Acevedo did. Of his predecessor’s tenure, Stark told the court, “I’ve been amazed by the camaraderie and expertise of our department. One thing I’ve been impressed with is that we’ve never lost our drive to continue to move forward. In a shockingly short period of time we were able to transform ourselves into what I would characterize as a true world-class organization.” Stark also said he will apply for the permanent position, which the court could fill as soon as September. Acevedo’s resignation is effective July 15 but comes as no surprise. She told the Monitor last November that she planned to eventually follow her husband, former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo and now top cop in Houston, to the Bayou City as soon as she wrapped up several projects and their young son finished the school year. Acevedo was not available for comment on Thursday, but she will be fêted by the court at its Tuesday voting session.