The City of El Paso announced Friday afternoon the appointment of Araceli Guerra as the new Managing Director for Internal Services.
“Araceli is a dynamic, people-centered leader and a proven problem solver. She will aim to grow the synergies in workforce management systems, reinforce operational efficiencies and integrate system-wide enterprise solutions that will continue to position our organization for success,” said City Manager Tommy Gonzalez. “The strength of our organization relies upon the ability to identify internal leaders, like Araceli, and to align their varied skillsets with the needs of our operations to fulfill the City’s strategic plan.”
Under her new position, Guerra will provide oversight over the Department of Information Technology Services, the Human Resources Department and Performance Office.
A dedicated public servant for nearly 14 years, Guerra began her career with the City of El Paso in 2006, providing support for enterprise applications. In 2010, she led the software team as the Application Administrator and in 2011 was part of the initiative to establish and lead the Information Technology Project Management Office, a first for the City of El Paso.
She served as the Assistant Director for six years before being appointed Director of Information Technology Services, with focused efforts on customer service improvements.
Under her leadership, the City was awarded the Future Ready Award by the Center of Digital Government for the EPStrong.org website. This nationwide top honor demonstrates the City’s commitment to providing the best to our community when it matters. The City also earned 2nd place for the National Government Experience Award, which recognizes municipalities that are laying the foundation through technology or process changes; innovation; engagement with partners; and by harnessing emerging technologies to solve problems. The two awards recognize how it’s more important than ever to bring vital services through innovative digital tools. The awards also acknowledged achievements and best practices of states, cities and counties that are transforming the experience of government services and pushing the boundaries of how citizen services are delivered.
Additionally, through the Communities of Excellence program, Guerra worked alongside UTEP and EPCC to obtain a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for $1.5 million, which will enable the creation of human and technological infrastructure, as well as facilitate the use of services for seniors provided by the City and community partners with the use of technology.
The department was also named one of the top ten winners of the 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 Digital Cities Survey, which recognizes cities that use technology to tackle social challenges, enhance services, strengthen cybersecurity, and more. Guerra was instrumental in the initiative to establish and lead the Information Technology Project Management Office to help identify efficiencies and improve IT services.
Guerra holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is a certified Project Management Professional, a senior Baldrige Examiner, and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
