El Paso County commissioners honor CIO Jeff Eckhart at retirement proclamation

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing the retirement of Jeff Eckhart, the county’s chief information officer, after 26 years with the county.

The proclamation, approved unanimously, said Eckhart was hired in May 1998 as a geographic information system specialist, later led the countywide GIS program, served as IT director beginning in 2016 and became chief information officer in 2018. The document credited him with overseeing adoption of cloud-based productivity tools, standing up a dedicated information security practice, producing a county broadband strategic plan in 2019 and leading development of the countywide strategic plan beginning in 2022.

Why it matters: Commissioners and county staff said Eckhart’s work modernized core systems and positioned departments to continue serving residents. The vote devoted a portion of the meeting to speeches from county leaders and colleagues who described Eckhart’s impact on operations across departments.

County Administrator Brett Waters called Eckhart “a very strategic thinker” and praised his leadership in developing the strategic plan. Deputy CIO Joe Palmer said Eckhart’s “strategic foresight has positioned us for success.” Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleicher and several commissioners also offered remarks during the recognition.

Eckhart used his remarks to thank colleagues and to single out family, faith and his department. He named Joe Palmer as interim CIO and said he and his wife Natalie plan to spend early retirement visiting family and their sons, who attend college in Utah and at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs.

Formal action: A motion to approve the proclamation was moved and seconded on the record and carried on a roll call vote of 5-0 (Cammie Bremer — aye; Bill Wysong — aye; Corey Applegate — aye; Holly Williams — aye; Carrie Geithner — aye). The board recessed afterward for a photograph.

The proclamation text included the board’s appreciation for Eckhart’s leadership in retiring legacy systems (including a VAX mainframe), advancing cybersecurity and creating the county’s first broadband strategic plan. Commissioners noted the county’s reliance on the IT team Eckhart led and thanked him for his public service.

Eckhart did not announce a new job; he described near-term plans to visit family and to “let the noise calm down” before deciding future activities.