Texas CTO Larry Olson Resigns

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Dec 5, 2006, By Wayne Hanson

Larry Olson, CTO of Texas, has resigned effective Dec. 31, according to the DIR Press Office. The resignation follows in the wake of last week's landmark data-center consolidation agreement reported by Government Technology.

DIR said that Olson announced his resignation during today's board meeting of the Texas Department of Information Resources.

"In his letter to Board Chair William Transier," said DIR, "Olson cited numerous successes including a new shared-services vision for statewide enterprise, renegotiation of the TexasOnLine.com partnership agreement that will generate about $36 million in savings, and the completion of the data center services agreement that will transform data center and disaster recovery services in the state, while saving the state $159 million over the next seven years."

Olson's projects have generated overall savings to Texas of more than $270 million, said the release, and said that Olson's goals that were established when he arrived in 2004 are now complete.

Olson reflected that the New DIR is, "a team working together as an enterprise, focused on customer service and execution. I am honored to have served my home state of Texas."

In accepting the resignation, Transier stated, "When we chose Larry for the position we knew there needed to be a transformation in the way DIR did business. As I look over the accomplishments of the past two years I know that every one has Larry's stamp on it."

The board appointed Brian Rawson, currently the director of service delivery for the agency, as the interim replacement for Olson. Rawson has over 20 years of experience in a variety of information technology and executive management positions with the state of Texas and in private industry. Prior to joining DIR, Rawson was the CIO of the Texas Education Agency.
KW

Comments

By Astounded waste the at Astounded on Apr 4, 2008

Well it has been 2 years now, and sure enough the outsourcing to IBM has been a complete disaster and fantastically expensive. I am waiting for the story to break. If incredible waste and incompetency in government is a concern to the public, this has front page written all over it.

By Anonymous on Feb 23, 2007

Everyone in state government technology organization knows and understands that this outsourcing deal is doomed to fail. It is too large, too ill-conceived, and done without the buy-in of the employees who will ultimately decide whether it will work or not. Olson is bailing before it fails and before the real hard work is done.

By Anonymous on Dec 21, 2006

The previous comments were correct, only the contract has been signed. Olson leaves just as the real work begins, and nobody expects it to work.

By Anonymous on Dec 11, 2006

Nothing has yet to be accomplished -- and I doubt that the savings expected will ever materialize. State employees come at half the price of the private sector workers and the constant upgrading of H/W and S/W that is commonplace in the private sector is done much less often in the public sector, where tax dollars are more often than not used for services -- education, health care, criminal justice, etc. -- long before these funds are set aside for administrative services. Olson is leaving before the truly more difficult portion of the task is yet to be done -- that being the implementation of all the consolidation activities ... that a truly great leader will need to accomplish. And the best part is the long anticipated meeting of savings and cost allocation to the 30 state agencies that was supposed to take place on Dec 11th was cancelled. I am guessing the cost-benefit analysis is not producing the results they anticipated after signing the contract with IBM -- the State of Texas will be a big loser when this is all said and done.

By James Wittmeyer on Dec 6, 2006

Mr. Olson's successor will have a full plate ahead of him as these changes are implemented. The public is demanding increased transparency in governmental decision making at the same time it is insisting on realistic privacy measures for the Niagra of data citizens now provide the state in exchange for accessing services on line.

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