Hamilton County Director of Information Technology Chris Mertens has been honored by Indianapolis Business Journal and TechPoint as a 2017 CTO of the Year.
The three-year-old CTO of the Year program recognizes chief technology officers because of the role they play in helping their organizations innovate and grow.
IBJ and TechPoint honored a total of 15 chief technology officers Aug. 10 in five categories: Private Companies (Revenue $100 million or Less), Private Companies (Revenue Over $100 million), Not-for-Profit/Government (Revenue $100 million or less), Not-for-Profit/Government (Revenue Over $100 Million) and Public Companies.
Mertens was an honoree in the larger Not-for-Profit/Government category, along with Judd Williams, chief information officer of the NCAA, and Michael Hineline, chief information and technology officer at the Indiana Public Retirement System.
Since joining the county eight years ago, Mertens has transformed the information technology department to better serve Hamilton County residents. He is credited with improving access to online payment options, for example, and making it possible for property owners to receive tax statements via email.
Mertens, 46, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lincoln University of Missouri and an MBA from William Woods University.