Lana Willingham currently serves as a Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the County of San Diego. She manages the Competition and Reengineering Group and the Information Technology Tiger Team. The Competition and Reengineering Group was formed in early 1998 with an 18-month mission to cut costs and streamline County operations.

As a key member of the County's executive team, Ms. Willingham has worked closely with the Board of Supervisors and the Chief Administrative Officer to assist departments in reengineering and reducing expenses, thus making resources available for reinvestment in frontline services. The result is more than $34 million in annual savings.

As of the 1999-2000 fiscal year, Ms. Willingham will focus her efforts on the Information Technology Outsourcing project and associated reengineering. The Information Technology Tiger Team is overseeing efforts to outsource the County's information technology services. The County seeks to contract with a private firm for its computer and telephone services, and the contract will be worth $500 million to $700 million over 10 years. The contract is expected to be awarded in October 1999.

Ms. Willingham has been with the County of San Diego since 1971, working her way up in the fields of program evaluation, and social services management to the position of Deputy Director of the County's Health and Human Services Agency. Ms. Willingham was closely involved with launching Project Synergy, a major reorganization of the Health and Human Services Agency. This project is intended to cut red tape and overhead costs, allowing savings to be reinvested into direct services. She also played an active role in state welfare reform legislation, advocating the Board of Supervisors' policy positions on welfare reform with state lawmakers.

Ms. Willingham holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Master of Social Work degree, both from San Diego State University. She is a past winner of the Tribute to Women in Government Award. Ms. Willingham lives in Tierrasanta with her husband, Doug. They have two grown children, one a management consultant and the other a school teacher.