Rhode Island Names its First Chief Digital Officer

After a three-month search, Rhode Island named Thom Guertin its first chief digital officer. Guertin will launch the Office of Digital Excellence and work with CIO John Landers to increase the number of services available to citizens online. Guertin has served as the executive director for business technology solutions at The Boston Globe and The New York Times since 2003. He has more than 20 years' experience as a senior IT executive.

"I am very pleased that Thom Guertin has accepted the position of chief digital officer. I am committed to finding new ways to continuously improve government so that we can best serve the people of Rhode Island. Technology is key to moving state government forward to provide the best services possible for our citizens," Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee said.

Guertin was a senior e-business manager and senior interactive marketing manager for the Acushnet Co., and he was one of the first five employees at Monster.com. Guertin will start his new role on Oct. 22.