Pioneer in Municipal Wireless to Lead the Firm’s International Practice
ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 15, 2006 — Civitium announced today that Dianah L. Neff has joined the firm as a Senior Partner to lead its International Practice. Having been appointed as the CIO for the City of Philadelphia in 2001, reporting to Mayor John F. Street and serving on the mayor’s cabinet, Ms. Neff has guided the betterment of technology in the city, including leading the Wireless Philadelphia project to create a citywide, 135-square-mile digital infrastructure to help citizens, business, schools and community organizations make effective use of wireless technology.
Ms. Neff was awarded the 2004 Technology Leadership Award by the Public Technology Institute Board of Directors for her "… far-reaching accomplishments and the technology leadership you have demonstrated in your capacity as Chief Information Officer for the City of Philadelphia." In 2005, she was selected as one of the Top 25 Women of Distinction in Philadelphia, one of Computerworld’s Premier 100 CIOs, and Information Week’s Chief of the Year in the Innovators and Influencers category.
"Dianah’s experience as a major city CIO, background in the private sector and pioneering leadership with Wireless Philadelphia make her ideally suited to lead Civitium’s growing business outside the U.S.," said Civitium’s founder and Managing Partner Greg Richardson. "Communities around the world are applying information and communications technology for economic and social benefit and Dianah’s advice and guidance will be of great value to their leaders."
Prior to Philadelphia, Ms. Neff: played a leading role in making the City of Palo Alto the first city in the U.S. to have a website; worked with San Bernardino County businesses and School District to develop a joint venture, Enterprise for Economy Excellence; developed and implemented the City of Bellevue’s Y2K compliance; and in San Diego – in conjunction with City Center Development Corporation – identified and mapped the 70,000 miles of fiber underneath the city’s streets in an initiative to attract businesses downtown.
"I’m thrilled to be joining the premier community broadband consulting firm," announced Ms. Neff. "My personal goals and passion for using technology for the betterment of society merge perfectly with Civitium’s leadership in helping cities worldwide craft the appropriate strategy for their communities."
In addition to leading Civitium’s International Practice, Ms. Neff will also advise the firm’s strategic U.S. clients on strategy, policy and communications planning matters. Her tenure with the firm will begin in September and she will be speaking at several worldwide events in the fall, including the Digital Cities Forum, October 5-6 in Johannesburg, South Africa ) and the Wireless Cities Congress, November 29-December 1 in Cannes, France (http://www.wirelesscitiescongress.eu/).
About Civitium
Civitium is the market-leading strategy, policy, technology and communications planning firm for community broadband initiatives. The firm has provided advisory services to the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and many others. For more information, visit http://www.civitium.com.
CONTACT:
Greg Richardson
Managing Partner
(678) 595-3085
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