President Preckwinkle Names New Chief Information Officer

Simona Rollinson joins Cook County with more than 15 years of private-sector experience Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced the appointment of Simona Rollinson as the new Chief Information Officer for Cook County. Rollinson previously served as President of Follett Software, a K-12 technology business with more than 500 employees. Her first day is Monday, April 21, 2014. “From day one I’ve said that modernizing Cook County government was one of the most important goals of my administration. Simona will be responsible for spearheading a number of critical projects in the Bureau of Technology – from implementing a new payroll system to expanding broadband infrastructure to adopting technology solutions to integrate the operations of our criminal justice system,” Preckwinkle said. “With her broad private sector technology experience, Simona has an ideal background for this role and I’m excited to have her join our team.” “After 17 years spent improving education through technology, I am thrilled to be bringing my passion for scalable innovation to the public sector,” Rollinson said. “I look forward to working with the team at the Bureau of Technology and other Cook County agencies to make our government smarter, quicker, and more responsive.” Simona Rollinson was named President of Follett Software in 2011. As a key member of Follett’s management team, Simona led change and drove technology innovation and new product development in the highly competitive education-focused software market. Under her tenure and direct oversight Follett dramatically expanded its software and service offerings, while at the same time significantly improving operating efficiency. An employee of the company since 1998, she also served as Vice President of Services and Operations, Director of Engineering, Director of Online and Data Services, and Software Developer. Rollinson holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology from Technical University-Sofia in Bulgaria; a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL (SIU); a Master of Science in Computer Science, also from SIU; and has pursued her Ph.D. in Engineering from SIU. She is a graduate of the Chicago Management Institute at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. President Preckwinkle’s 2014 budget included more than $40 million dollars in strategic technology investments across the county, with a focus on reducing waste and modernizing and streamlining operations.