As a proven leader in information technology with nearly 30 years of experience in the field, Sam Hinojosa has been helping organizations grow their technological capabilities with keen insight and creative ideas. He is currently the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Hinojosa is responsible for the overall technical direction of the Information Technology Bureau and exercises creativity and ingenuity in directing the work of the staff. His focus is on strategic planning, technical policy development, budget forecasting, cyber security, business continuity, and delivery of mission-critical complex systems and services.
He has worked at multiple organizations including General Instrument, American Airlines, and the University of Southern California. Hinojosa brings a depth of technical skills and management capabilities to his current position and has extensive experience in the technology industry, including a customer-focused approach, high-level server architecture, project management, crime suppression technologies, access control, radio systems, and software development. He continually aspires to forward the discipline and mechanisms of delivering technology virtually.
Prior to joining the Los Angeles Fire Department, Sam worked for the University of Southern California, as the Chief Technology Officer. He was responsible for the technical vision and strategy for the legal, risk, finance, and safety departments. In this position, Hinojosa led a team of technologists through the processes of systems architecture and application development with an emphasis on public safety, risk management, and legal tracking systems.
He holds an Executive Masters in Leadership from USC’s Price School of Public Policy. He earned both Masters and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Argosy University. Sam is also a certified leader with USA Wrestling.