Greg Jackson

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft last week issued an executive order to create the position of State Chief Information Officer, a cabinet-level appointed authority who will oversee a new Office of Information Technology. Taft named Greg Jackson, assistant director for the Department of Administrative Services, as state chief information officer (CIO).

The CIO will head efforts to consolidate the state's IT operations to improve service to Ohioans and reduce costs. The Office of Information Technology will be housed within the Department of Administrative Services and is not a separate cabinet agency.

"We are always looking for ways to increase efficiencies in state spending and improve service delivery, and a unified information technology strategy will help us meet this goal," Taft said. "The success of the Ohio Business Gateway has shown us what can be achieved when agencies pool their resources and focus on customers. We want to replicate that success throughout state government. Greg Jackson has substantial experience with both public- and private-sector information systems and is the ideal person to lead the state's IT efforts."

Jackson has been assistant director of the Department of Administrative Services since January 2000, where he oversees the Divisions of Information Technology Governance and Information Technology Service Delivery. He also serves on the Ohio SchoolNet Commission, as a board member for the National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council and on the executive board for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Jackson previously served as a senior consultant with IBM's Global Government Consulting Group, deputy director of Management Information Systems with the Ohio Department of Taxation and worked in the private sector with Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and The Hoover Company.