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California's DOIT Gets an Interim Director

A familiar technology figure around Sacramento gets the appointment.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Gray Davis announced the appointment of John Clark Kelso as Chief Deputy and Interim Director of the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) on Thursday.

Kelso is the director of the Institute for Legislative Practice at McGeorge School of Law, where he has served since 1994. He has worked closely with the leadership in the California Senate and Assembly and within the Judicial and Executive Branches on constitutional amendments, legislation and rules of court to improve and reform the California Judiciary and the administration of justice.

Kelso also has a broad background in technology, serving as the director of the Center for Access to the Courts through Technology. Gov. Davis appointed Kelso as the chairman of the California Earthquake Authority in November 2000 and confirmed his appointment as California's Acting Insurance Commissioner.

He has also held key positions on Judicial Council committees and task forces, including the Judicial Council's Appellate Process Task Force; the Blue Ribbon Commission on Jury System Improvement; the Judicial Council Court Technology Task Force; and the 2020 Vision Project regarding Judicial Independence, Judicial Technology, and the Appellate Courts.

He is a well-known speaker, lecturer, and author of various publications and reports on justice system issues and technology. Kelso served as an associate professor of law at McGeorge School of Law from 1989 to 1992, and as assistant professor of law from 1986 to 1989.