Kenyatta Powers is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Department of Human Services (DHS) in Maryland State Government. She functions a senior-level technology executive combining project management, technical expertise, and business proficiency to develop, execute, and manage strategic, statewide technology projects for the Department. DHS is Maryland’s Health and Human Service Provider which helps vulnerable Marylanders buy healthy foods, pay energy bills, obtain medical assistance and provide stable environments for at-risk children and adults.  

Kenyatta has served DHS for almost 20 years as both a consultant and an employee in several different leadership positions. As CIO, she manages the Department’s Office of Technology for Human Services (OTHS) which is responsible for the overall management and direction of DHS’ information systems, telecommunications and infrastructure that includes network, help desk and desktop support services. She manages an annual budget of $70 million with around 400 IT staff across 15 different Units. She manages the Enterprise environment that provides technology support services for around 40 applications, for over 7000 end users in over 100 locations across the state. Kenyatta is also helping to manage a three-year $195 million Modernization Project to modernize all IT computer systems for the Department.

She is also a speaker and a mentor with a focus on motivation, Guiding Principles in Technology, Professional Development and Leadership. She is an advocate for exposing women, children and underrepresented minorities to the field of Computer Science and Technology. She aims to increase the number of women and minorities in the digital space by empowering them to become innovators in STEM and by providing resources and opportunities to learn about computer programming and engineering.

In addition to being a mentor in the Departments Mentor Program, Kenyatta consistently mentors and encourages her staff to par take in technological advancements. She spearheaded the Project Management Methodology Transformation initiative which transformed the entire Department from Waterfall to the Agile Methodology. This allowed her to present learning and advancement opportunities for her staff to grow and learn the new methodology as well as the new technology in the Modernization Project.

Kenyatta also leads initiatives that utilize youth interns to give them the opportunity to experience work in an actual IT environment. It allows them to better understand and appreciate the world of technology and its advantages. Job shadowing is offered to the mentees and the interns as well as lessons learned and question and answers sessions to all OTHS leadership.

Kenyatta is also a contributor to the Computer Science Education and Professional Development Findings Report which was requested by Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan. The report provides recommendations to help create innovative and sustainable ways to address gender and racial disparities in the STEM and IT fields. Kenyatta is the primary contact of a team of other contributors with an overall goal to identify disparity gaps, and work with organizations that engage the underrepresented to determine what’s needed to close the disparity gap.

She is a member of several Executive Information Technology (IT) Advisory Boards and was recently recognized for Outstanding Leadership in Information Technology. Kenyatta is also a leader in ministry and her passion for empowering and supporting Community Development initiatives through ministry assignments has made her a staple in the community. With demonstrated experience in planning, developing, and implementing technology solutions, Kenyatta is goal-oriented and skilled at leading diverse teams to successful outcomes. Kenyatta is driven and self-motivated, with the blend of visionary leadership and technical aptitude to solve challenging problems and effectively manage multiple, interdependent, and simultaneous projects. She excels in team building and leverages strong interpersonal and communication skills to cultivate and maintain relationships with leaders, clients, mentees, employees, vendors and end-users.