Brownsville CIO departs after major smart city transformation

Jorge Cardenas is stepping down as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Brownsville, Texas, following a four-year period of digital transformation. During his tenure, which began in August 2022, Cardenas oversaw significant infrastructure upgrades, including the deployment of a 160-kilometre citywide fibre backbone and the securing of over US$42 million in broadband funding.

A central component of the city’s modernization was the implementation of a private 5G network developed with NTT DATA. This network was integrated with Cisco Identity Services Engine to create a secure, centralized policy engine for managing various smart city endpoints, such as AI-enabled cameras, public Wi-Fi, and municipal sensors. These technologies support applications like traffic monitoring and real-time situational awareness for first responders.

Cardenas, who also served as the city’s acting cybersecurity executive, recently received the 2026 Service to the Citizen Award for his role in transitioning Brownsville from a city previously identified as having poor connectivity to a more technologically advanced municipality.