Mr. Bledsoe is the retired CIO for Catawba County. He was responsible for Information Technology, GIS and the 911 Center. He oversaw development of new technologies and identified, planned and implemented tools to improve efficiency and service delivery. Mr. Bledsoe believes that constant changes in our world require constant innovation and creativity to deliver services to the citizens of Catawba County.Mr. Bledsoe was named one of Government Technology's Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2011. He is also the Past President of the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association. Recent projects include an advanced AVL, mapping and data system for all EMS and Sheriffs vehicles, virtualization and redundancy for the county’s 180 plus servers, complete phone and infrastructure upgrade, mobile employee support, 911 VOIP integration, and 800MHz project with the State Highway Patrol. In his role, Mr. Bledsoe works with many organizations both within and outside of the county. Mr. Bledsoe chairs the Future Economy Council for the Chamber. The FEC is a think tank looking for ways to make Catawba County’s economy more resilient and adaptable. He works with municipalities to share resources and build capacity across the county and region.Before coming to work for Catawba County, Bledsoe was employed with IBM Corporation as a senior consultant. In that role he was Deputy Project Manager responsible for a team that was deploying the largest student information system implementation in the world and the largest IBM K-12 education project in the world. Prior to IBM, Bledsoe worked for Catawba County Schools and retired as their Chief Technology Officer after 30 years of service. In that role he planned and implemented technology for the school system. In 2007 he graduated from the Certified Government Chief Information Officers (CGCIO) Program of the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill.Specialties: Bledsoe’s experience includes all phases of technology planning and implementation. He is especially noted for his ability to bring seemingly unrelated technologies together for innovative solutions. With more than 35 years experience in technology leadership, he has been honored for his innovation and excellence in technology leadership. He is known for strong problem solving abilities and creative solutions while working in an environment that values teamwork and out of the box thinking.