Diversity Drives Innovation in Delaware

BALTIMORE — Building the state’s workforce is a passion project for Delaware CIO James Collins. The state Department of Technology and Information (DTI) regularly tweets photos and videos of Collins visiting schools, showing the next generation that IT can be cool — and that anyone can be part of it.

And diversity is key to where he sees the IT workforce going. Not only is Delaware working to train populations from young girls to the disabled to veterans in coding, app development and more, but Collins, a Government Technology Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver for 2018, knows it’s important those groups are represented in government.

At the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Midyear conference in Baltimore this week, Collins talked to GT about why it’s so critical that Delaware’s government reflects the diversity of its people.

“The more [perspectives] we have at the table,” he said, “the more complete and innovative solutions we can put in place.”