Carolyn Pleiss Is Cox Enterprises' New CIO

Cox Enterprises announced Carolyn Pleiss as its new senior vice president and chief information officer, effective Oct. 2.   

In this role, Pleiss will define and deliver IT strategy and capabilities that are applicable across the company. This includes architecture, security and compliance, application development, infrastructure and program management.  

“Carolyn has a clear vision of where we need to go as an organization and will help us build on strategies already in place,” said Dallas Clement, president and chief financial officer, Cox Enterprises. “Her years at Cox perfectly position her for this role and we’re excited to see how she helps us reach the ambitious goals we have for the future.” 

Pleiss joined Cox AutoTrader Publishing in 2007 before moving to Autotrader.com, where she successfully led its agile transformation. In 2015, Pleiss led the Cox Auto Technology integration team as part of the Dealertrack acquisition. As VP, agile delivery, she implemented a product delivery framework that increased the alignment, transparency and consistency of how Cox Automotive performed product planning, prioritization and delivery across the organization.  

Prior to Cox Automotive, Pleiss led her own consulting business, where she worked with companies including The New York Times, Boston Globe and others to deliver personalized methodologies and lead enterprise initiatives.  

Pleiss is an Agile Certified Professional (ACP) and was named one of the 100 Women Worth Watching by Diversity Journal, as well as a Woman of the Year Honoree by Women in Technology. She currently serves on the board of Literacy Action, the oldest, largest, and leading adult basic education nonprofit in the Southeastern United States. 

“Being part of the Cox family has given me so many opportunities to do interesting and impactful work in the technology space,” Pleiss said. “I am thrilled to be leading our Cox Enterprises Technology team into the future, as we enable our business partners to reach their highest potential through innovation and new ways of working.”