Last week, Governor-elect Tim Kaine announced that Aneesh Chopra will serve as Secretary of Technology in his cabinet.

On December 8 the Virginia Information Technology Investment Board (ITIB) honored Secretary of Technology Eugene Huang for his service as Secretary and as Vice Chair and former Chair of the ITIB. See the resolution.

Lem Stewart, CIO of the Commonwealth, announced today that Fred Duball has been named the Director of the Service Management Organization (SMO). The SMO is designed to manage the delivery of infrastructure services and is responsible for overseeing and ensuring all aspects of the partnership with Northrop Grumman works effectively and efficiently.

More information at the VITA website.

Chopra was appointed co-chair in 2002 of the Southern Technology Council, a 14-state regional technology-based economic development organization. In 2004, Chopra was appointed to the Board of Medical Assistance Services, where he initiated a pilot project to lower administrative costs for Virginia's Medicaid program by utilizing technology. Chopra was also appointed to the Governor's Electronic Health Records Task Force, where he worked to identify strategies for lowering costs, improving patient satisfaction and accelerating the adoption of patient safety measures using technology.

Chopra is currently the managing director of the Advisory Board Company, which provides best practices research and analysis to the health care industry, focusing on business strategy, operations and general management issues. In 2003, he helped launch the firm's first software-based business. He also serves as co-president of the D.C. chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, an organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship in the region.

Chopra received a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.