As DCSS CIO and the Technology Services Division Deputy Director, Catherine Lanzaro is directly responsible for all Information Technology (IT) activities within the Department. By putting people first, she strives to inspire DCSS Information Technology experts to create secure, unique, and customer-centric automated solutions that drive the Child Support Program forward and achieve the Department’s mission.
Ms. Lanzaro has 36 years of technology, business, and management experience for the State of California, and is a graduate of the California Department of Technology, Information Technology Leadership Academy (ITLA-21). Working with her talented teams, her most notable accomplishment is the 2021 Cloud Migration Project which moved DCSS’ most complex application, the Child Support Enforcement System (CSE) from a legacy platform to a modern cloud-based environment. CSE is one of the state’s largest IT systems, serving 1.2 million customers with a user community of over 7,000 child support professionals.
In June 2022, Ms. Lanzaro was awarded CIO of the Year from the California Public Sector CIO Academy.
An especially important aspect of Ms. Lanzaro’s life is family and community; she is devoted to her husband of 35 years, children, and grandchildren. Ms. Lanzaro has also spent the past 25 years volunteering as a costume designer and master seamstress, creating costumes for local theaters and high school performing arts productions. She enjoys listening to music and is a big fan of Disney.

Prior to joining the state in 2010, Jennifer served as an IT consultant in the private sector providing project management, Independent Project Oversight Consulting (IPOC), Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), and business analysis services for numerous large projects across multiple state and local county departments and agencies. Since 2012, she has served in various management and executive leadership positions at the California Department of Technology, Employment Development Department, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture overseeing all aspects of IT functions including technology governance and technology operations. Currently, she is the Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer for the California State Lottery. Jennifer holds a Master of Business Administration from the California State University, Sacramento, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.
On a more personal note, Jennifer is a multiple World Champion, National Champion, and State Champion in numerous equestrian events.