TJ Mayotte brings more than 20 years’ experience across the government, defense and financial services industries to his role as DTCS Director and CIO. Before Joining Howard County, TJ served the Director of Security Governance, Risk and Compliance for HealthEquity, a financial services company committed to improving access to healthcare. Prior to this role, he was DTCS’s Deputy CIO, where he aided in the development of the County’s IT strategy, led a series of program improvement initiatives and started Transform Howard, the County’s program to bridge the digital divide. TJ’s experience spans a wide range of technology-focused roles, including developing the cyber resilience program for a Fortune 200 financial services company, leading a cyber damage assessment program for the Department of the Army and serving as a project manager for various technology initiatives. He began his career as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy and is a veteran of the Iraq War. TJ earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross and his master’s in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego. He lives in Elkridge with his wife and two sons and can be found mountain biking in Patapsco State Park or coaching baseball in Rockburn Park.
Sandra Tello has served as Deputy Director for the Department of Technology & Communication for the past 14 years. Tello managed multiple technology initiatives that have led to efficiencies across Howard County Government through automation and system consolidations.
During this time, she has been managing Business office, Digital experience, GIS, Service Desk and SAP Support business areas.
Tello was instrumental in the implementation of County’s ERP system, and played a vital role in design, deploy, and support of ERP using SAP solution. This system includes Financials, Purchasing, Fleet, and Utilities.
Prior to Howard County, Tello was consulting in implementation of ERP systems for 12 years in different countries.
Brandee Ganz served as the County’s Chief Information Officer from 2019 –2023, where she managed more than 100 employees within the Department of Technology and Communication Services. During that time, she oversaw numerous projects and initiatives, helping to ensure the County’s Information Technology (IT) needs and standards were met and maintained.
During her tenure at the Department, her team’s focus was to ensure the safety of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, while keeping all County services safe and secure. Ganz led efforts to move the County’s workforce to a remote environment, without service interruption to staff or residents.
With the need to move all government meetings online during quarantine, but still allow for transparency and public input, her team quickly built a digital platform allowing all meetings and events to be hosted virtually. This included County Council meetings, budget meetings, board meetings, and several townhall events to provide crucial information to the community.
Also, during this time, her team partnered with County Administration to launch the Transform Howard Initiative, which continues to bridge the digital divide within the County. This was evident as her team worked closely with the Howard County Public School System to enhance and build out their internet services, allowing all students were able to connect into the classroom virtually.
In March of 2023 Ganz became the 2nd woman to serve as Chief Administrative Officer for the County.
In County Administration she oversees the following offices: Law, Budget, Procurement, Human Resources, Human Rights and Equity, Transportation, Community Sustainability, Workforce Development, Fleet, Mail Services, Public Information, and Staff Services. She also oversees the following Departments: Technology and Communication Services, Finance, and Recreation and Parks.
In addition to the offices and departments, she also oversees Public Safety for the County. This includes Police, Fire and Corrections.
She also oversees Labor Management and serves as a Trustee of both the Howard County Employees’ Pension Plan and the Howard County Police and Fire Pension Plan.
