Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) Manager Bob Cowell has appointed Hemant Desai to serve as the new Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Information Technology (IT) Department Director beginning September 28, 2026. 

Desai has more than 20 years of technology leadership experience across the nonprofit, government, and education environments. 

"Hemant brings an impressive combination of local government experience, technical expertise, and a genuine understanding of how technology can better serve an organization and its community," said Cowell. "His previous public sector roles have given him valuable perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing communities like ours. We’re excited to welcome him to Athens-Clarke County and to our leadership team."

In his most recent information technology role, Desai served for nearly five years as the CIO for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) based in Washington, DC. In this position, he led initiatives related to cloud modernization, identity management, AI governance, and digital transformation for the global nonprofit serving local government professionals worldwide. 

Prior to his work at ICMA, Desai worked for over a decade for the Guilford County Government in Greensboro, NC as Project Manager, Director of Client Services, and for nearly eight years, as CIO. As CIO, he directed a team of 52 IT professionals in enterprise IT operations, cybersecurity, data governance, infrastructure modernization, and digital transformation initiatives for North Carolina’s third-largest county government serving more than 540,000 residents across 20 departments. 

"I'm honored to join Athens-Clarke County as Chief Information Officer," said Desai. "Technology works best when it's invisible to the people it serves, quietly making government more responsive, more secure, and more connected to the community. I look forward to building that kind of technology foundation alongside the Mayor and Commission and staff to earn the trust of the residents we serve every day."

Prior to his government work, Desai held the positions of president and CIO of a regional computer learning center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University in India and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix. He holds certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as a Program and Project Management Professional and is a Microsoft certified trainer and IT professional.  

The Athens-Clarke County IT Department provides high-quality computer services, state-of-the-art computer networks and software applications, reliable equipment and system access, proficient technical support, and assistance that encourages the application of technology to improve the efficiency and productivity of ACCGov operations. 

For more information on the ACCGov IT Department, visit www.accgov.com/it.