Technology & Communication Services

About

Mr. David G. Leeds was appointed Director of the Department of Technology and Communication Services and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Howard County Government (County) in July 2025.  Mr. Leeds also serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), a role he has held since March 2023. 

Prior to joining the County, Mr. Leeds worked as a Cybersecurity professional in the private sector, leading a large Cybersecurity team at Northrop Grumman Corporation (NG) as a Cyber Information Systems Security Manager.  Prior to NG, Mr. Leeds worked in the federal sector, serving as a CISO, Deputy CISO, and Security Control Assessor for the U.S. Air Force at the DoD Cyber Crime Center (DC3).  In addition, Mr. Leeds worked as a Senior Information Assurance Engineer, and Senior Computer Operations Support Analyst, for Lockheed Martin.  Mr. Leeds also served as an NCO in the U.S. Army, deploying to Kandahar, Afghanistan (KAF) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in 2012.  While deployed, Mr. Leeds managed a team of IT technicians that provided support to over 1,300 end-users for the U.S. Army, while supporting a Major General in OEF.  Prior to his military service, Mr. Leeds also worked for two Fortune 500 companies, as a Territory Manager for Kraft Foods and Kellogg Company.  In this capacity, Mr. Leeds was responsible for managing multi-million dollar territories, and multiple full and part-time employees.  Collectively, Mr. Leeds has over 26 years of leadership experience in both military and civilian environments.

Mr. Leeds holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from Western Governors University, a Master of Business of Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Bachelor of Science from Fitchburg State University.  He also holds his CISSP, CEH, CNDA, GISP, SEC+, and NET+ certifications.

About

Sandra Tello has served as Deputy Director for the Department of Technology & Communication for the past 14 years. Tello managed multiple technology initiatives that have led to efficiencies across Howard County Government through automation and system consolidations.

During this time, she has been managing Business office, Digital experience, GIS, Service Desk and SAP Support business areas.

Tello was instrumental in the implementation of County’s ERP system, and played a vital role in design, deploy, and support of ERP using SAP solution. This system includes Financials, Purchasing, Fleet, and Utilities. 

Prior to Howard County, Tello was consulting in implementation of ERP systems for 12 years in different countries.

About

A native Marylander, John was appointed Deputy Chief Information Officer in September 2023. John has a wealth of institutional knowledge and experience within the Department of Technology and Communication Services, having worked and been promoted through the ranks during his tenure with Howard County. John previously served in the private sector as IT Director for Rosemore Inc., as well as public sector IT positions within the Baltimore City Circuit Court and Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

John’s technical skills have enabled the County to evaluate business needs, purchase, and scale many of the IT solutions used by the County. He has collaborated with departments to build solutions, maintains the County’s operational IT infrastructure, and continues to plan for future growth into new technologies.

John holds a Master’s degree in Applied Internet Technologies systems from Towson University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from Fairmont State University.

John is married and has an adult daughter. He enjoys fishing, sports, Tom Clancy novels, and spending time with his large family.