James Porter has joined Lawton Public Schools as its new chief technology information officer and will oversee all technology strategies for the district.

He said his No. 1 goal will be applying consistency to everything the district does.

“Things aren’t broke, but I will ensure we are in a position in case any storms are coming. I want to identify any opportunities to increase redundancy in terms of people and multiple systems,” said Porter, explaining that more than one person needs to be trained how to do a job. In terms of computer redundancy, if one system fails, another will kick in.

He also will focus on staff development and cross-training.

“We need to be able to maintain continuity,” he said.

Porter, who holds a CISSP certification, comes to LPS after a 15-year career in the banking industry and a 30-year career in information technology.

“I was looking for a role making a more significant difference in the community. If we improve the quality of education, we improve the quality of our community,” said Porter, who is a fourth generation Lawtonian.

“I feel like every experience I’ve had has helped prepare me for this role,” he said of his duties with LPS.