Sean Sweeney becomes Charleston Chief Information Officer

Sean Sweeney took the helm as Charleston’s chief information officer, stepping into local government after leading global security operations at Oracle and advising major organizations on cybersecurity at Microsoft.

The transition brings private-sector security experience into municipal IT management. Sweeney’s responsibilities will include guiding the city’s IT strategy and investments, modernizing enterprise applications and business systems, and advancing initiatives involving artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Sweeney was introduced at the Nov. 10 City Council meeting, according to a video posted by the city this week, and he also announced the appointment on LinkedIn. Between 2021 and 2026, he worked at Oracle as vice president of security operations and global head of security trust and response before moving to Charleston.

While at Oracle, he established and directed the organization’s Integrated Cyber Center, managing worldwide physical and cyber incident responses, security communications, and crisis management. Furthermore, his responsibilities involved integrating artificial intelligence-powered solutions for automated remediation, threat detection, and vulnerability identification.

Private Sector Background

Before his time at Oracle, Sweeney served as a global chief security advisor at Microsoft from 2017 to 2021. Within that capacity, he provided guidance to government entities, large enterprises, and regulated sectors regarding cybersecurity strategy, data protection, enterprise risk, and cloud security.

Since 2020, he has additionally held a position as an affiliate practice scholar at the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Cyber Law, Policy and Security. His academic work there focuses on cybersecurity leadership, policy, cloud security, incident response, and emerging technology risks.

“Technology is a way to make government more effective, support city employees and improve services for residents”

Transition in IT Leadership

Sweeney’s appointment follows a period of interim leadership in Charleston’s IT department. Based on LinkedIn records, Ivan Torres has served as acting CIO since August 2025 after dedicating more than 21 years of service to the municipality.

Torres took over the position after the departure of former CIO Wes Ratterree, who had served in the role for over two decades. Ashley Silver is a staff writer for Government Technology.