Subject Location Citizen Contact Information
Request Details [Information provided by Citizen]
Printed on 12/1/2025
City Clerk - Application for Appointment to City Board, Committee or Commission [ Request Id:
276059]
Street Info:
City / Zip
Citizen Name: Joseph Halford
Email:
Phone1 / Phone2:
Address:
City, Zip: Visalia, CA 93291
Please review the following handbook:
How many years of being a Visalia
Resident?: 41
Are you a Visalia Registered Voter?: Yes
List any training and/or experience: Approx. 14 years of experience in leadership roles for Non-profit, Education, and Government. Approx. 20
years of experience in Information Technology and
technology infrastructure planning. My experience has
given me the opportunity to interact with the
community (identifying needs, promoting solutions),
participate in bringing items to Boards for approval,
and collaborating on large efforts that require input
from multiple stakeholders. 2021 - Present - Tulare
County Director of Information and Communications
Technology 2016 - 2021 - Madera Unified Director of
Information Technology 2013 - 2016 - Assistant
Director of Communication and Information Systems
CSET
Education-school, major, graduation date &
degree: Masters Degree - Cyber and Information Security - 2016 Bachelors Degree - Information Technology -
2014
Additional skills and/or interests: Woodworking, DIY Home Improvement and interior design, Antique Furniture and Architecture,
Landscaping and Gardening, Electronics Repair,
Vintage Cars, Metal working and Fabrication,
Electronics Repair, beer making, cooking, and
hiking/camping.
Community activities in which you are
involved: My partner is actively involved in Animal Rescue, primarily with the Central Valley Railroad Rescue, and
I support her efforts as needed with various events.
Service on a City Board, Committee or
Commission:
Present Occupation: Director of Information Technology Name of Employer:
Work Address:
Work Phone Number:
Potential Conflicts: No
If Yes, explain in detail any potential
conflicts:
First Choice for City
Board/Committee/Commission: Historic Preservation Committee Applicable qualifications and experience: I have been a resident within the Historical Committee area for over 10 years and I enjoy reading up on
historical architecture. As a member of the community,
12/1/25, 10:17 AM visalia.city/admin/printRequest.asp?requestid=276059 https://www.visalia.city/admin/printRequest.asp?requestid=276059 1/2 Personnel, medical, or similarPersonnel, medical, orPersonnel, it's given me a lot of insight into how to approach the care of these old homes and the difficulty in finding
contractors that know how to work on them.
Goals for this appointment: I would like to build relationships with the other committee members and find ways to improve
outreach and resources for homeowners. I would also
like to compare existing historical committee
ordinance to other California communities and make
recommendations to the City that could improve the
community experience of ownership and investment in
these types of properties. Additionally, identifying
changes that would relax the concerns of other
neighborhoods that should be historically protected
such as Beverly Glen or Green Acres, so that we could
continue to expand protection to these historical
homes. These neighborhoods are the Cities historical
"core" and we need to find ways to continue improving
these neighborhoods.
Second Choice for City
Board/Committee/Commission: Parks & Recreation Commission Applicable qualifications and experience: I'm an avid gardener and studied horticulture briefly prior to pivoting to Information Technology. Visiting
parks or botanical gardens when traveling is a hobby
of mine.
Goals for this appointment: Support the city in expanding the available park space for the community.
Third Choice for
Board/Committee/Commission: Planning Commission
Applicable qualifications and experience: Approx. 14 years of experience in leadership roles and a community member all my life.
Goals for this appointment: Support efforts to make good long term planning decisions. I would likely push or make
recommendations that improve road safety and
investment or parks in the city core as opposed to
increased suburban sprawl.
Agree or Not Agree: Agree
Resume:
View Attachment
Male or Female: Male
Ethnic Category: White - includes White, Anglo-Saxons, Europeans, and person of Indo-European, North Africa or Middle
Eastern origin.
Staff Request Admin
Request ID: 276059
Received/Entered: 11/9/2025 1:33:47 PM
Target Complete Date: 11/12/2025 1:33:47 PM
Actual Complete Date:
Request Source: Internet (N)
Original Assigned Staff: Dangerfield, Rachel
Davila Lopez, Pamela
Rivera, Reyna
Priority: Normal
Status: Received
Color
Flag:
Staff / Citizen Action Log
No Staff/Citizen Actions have been added
12/1/25, 10:17 AM visalia.city/admin/printRequest.asp?requestid=276059 https://www.visalia.city/admin/printRequest.asp?requestid=276059 2/2
Joe Halford
___________________________________________________ __________________________________
With 20 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), I seek a critical leadership position in an organization committed to using IT to s upport the organization’s mission and vision. My IT expertise in capacity assessment, risk ma nagement, cybersecurity, strategic planning, and effective resource allocation is essential to such an organization’s short- and long- term success.
Areas of IT Expertise
Strategic planning and management Policy development & i mplementation Risk analysis/data integrity/disaster recovery Network security architecture Data management Data Analysis
Public acquisition process / Request for Proposals In ventory control - Audit Response Identify/Manage critical IT needs during pervasive crisis Manage/Relocate scarce resources during times of drasticall y changing community needs
Relevant Work Experience
December 2021 – Present (4 Years)
Director –
Primary Responsibilities: Oversee and direct the Information and Communications Technolog y Department of for day-to-day operations and establishing strategic direction. is comprised of approximately 150 employees spread through eig ht distinct units that comprise infrastructure support, project management and anal ysis, data management, information security, and custom application development. The annual budget is approximately $45,000,000 and supports the technology infra structure of twenty-six distinct departments with unique lines of business.
Specific Accomplishments:
• ERP Modernization: Established project management teams to facilitate and oversee the implementation of modern software to replace legacy financial, payroll, and HRIS software. This project was extensive, multi-year, and requir ed significant resources to properly scope and support.
• Web Site Modernization: Tulare County recently launched a new modernized website with emphasis on ADA, usability, and scalability. Thi s is a signature accomplishment, as the legacy website had extensive dependencies and cultural acceptance throughout the organization. It required coordination of n early a hundred content creators and copious change management practices to overco me change resistance.
• Strategic Plan: Collaborated with twenty-six departments to write and deliver a three-year strategic plan for County technology. This str ategic plan is available on the County Website for review.
August 2016 - Present (5 Years)
Director - Information Technology
Primary Responsibilities: Oversee and direct Information Technology Department of 40 st aff to support and implement technology throughout the school district, serving over 20,000 students and approximately 2,500 staff members. Direct and manage a nnual technology budget of $3,500,000 to maintain end-user equipment, network equipment, and software for all 30 schools and five District office locations.
Specific Accomplishments:
• Implementation of a multilevel professional development program for district staff that includes a robust district knowledge base, internally develo ped online courses and badging, face to face, and hybrid learning options.
• Completed extensive department reorganization resulting in detaile d career ladders, clarity for IT staff regarding job responsibilities, and increa sed capacity to address support deficiency.
• Designed and implemented five-year refresh plan to proactivel y maintain 1:1 Chromebook program with annual replacement of aging devices and upgrades to classroom A/V equipment throughout the district.
• Managed and directed the design and implementation of $1 0,000,000 of extensive network improvements throughout the district via the Federal E-Rate Prog ram. • Managed implementation and migration of accounting and HR systems from multiple disparate software systems to a single consolidated syst em. • Worked with multiple internal and external groups to design multi-gig technology systems for recently constructed Elementary, Concurrent Enrollment Middle Sc hool, and High School campuses.
• Recruited and managed over 150 volunteers for the emergency distri bution of 12,500 Chromebooks and 1,000 mobile hotspots in response to schoo l closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Data Center redesign and refresh with implementation of Virtual D esktop Infrastructure for Career Technical Education Courses. Design includes in-ro w cooling, hot and cold aisle, and back-up generator. New equipment will support:
• Increased custom application needs of the district
• Over 900 concurrent students in the VDI environment accessing 3D modeling software • Network backbone of 40gbps with capability to expand to 100gbps. • Kicked off efforts to provide a Municipal Broadband Net work to provide internet access for students outside of wireline service areas or qualified low -income students.
October 2013 – August 2016 (2 years, 10 months)
Assistant Director - Information & Technology Support
Primary Responsibilities : Oversaw and directed seven staff to implement the first formal assessment of technical need for , which annually serves n early 25,000 residents. Provided oversight into the $600,000 annual technology budget which supports some 400 workstations spread throughout fourteen offices across two large counties . Conducted priority risk analysis and worked with leadership to define additional needed res ource support and capability development. Led educational efforts related to IT development and management in this transitional organization.
IT Specific Accomplishments :
• Facilitated implementation of new cloud-based help desk system and processes to increase communication between the technology department and the rest of the organization - resulting in faster response times, accurate metrics, and ea sy dissemination of updated technology policies.
• Development of a three-year technology and lifecycle plan that complements strategic plan and helps meet National Performance Indicators (NPI’s) such as community engagement, employment growth, and agency capacity.
• Designed and implemented bid-project to standardize the print er fleet throughout the organization resulting in annual savings of approximately $100,000. • Persuaded multiple competing programs to invest in sweepi ng information security and network updates including updated firewalls, implementation of terminal services for public resource rooms, CIPA compliant web proxies for charter school classrooms, and identity management across physical locations.
• Standardized job roles within the department and implemente d comprehensive training programs to improve technical staff skills.
• Developed and oversaw the implementation of a comprehensive disa ster recovery plan.
October 2006 – October 2013 (7 years)
IT Systems Administrator - Information Technology
Primary Responsibilities : Trained and managed two IT staff to support organizati onal IT requirements. Led assessment of technology needs and planning t o meet identified high priority IT support goals. Provided oversight to Health Insur ance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) compliance effort. Managed IT network integri ty/security. Contributed to organization-wide strategic leadership meetings to ensure technological needs aligned with the company’s strategic plan and the needs of six divisions.
Education
Capitol Technology University, Laurel, MD
MS in Cyber & Information Security - August 2016
Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UT
BS in Information Technology - October 2014
CompTIA Project+ Project Management Certification
Redaction Log
Reason Page (# of occurrences) Description
1 (1) ---
no reason
1 (7)
3 (4)
4 (1)
5 (5)
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Personnel, medical, or similar records
Gov9t Code §§ 7927.700 1 (3)
Portions of the records relating to
personnel, medical, or similar files
would constitute an unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy are
exempt from disclosure and are
redacted pursuant to California
Government Code § 7927.700.