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New Governors to Bring Big Turnover of State CIOs

Time will tell how newly elected governors shape IT consolidations and other enterprise projects in progress across the country.

A record number of governors races contested Tuesday will potentially lead to an unprecedented number of new state CIOs in 2011.

Of 37 gubernatorial races up for grabs Tuesday, an estimated 26 new governors were elected. Many of them will likely handpick their own state CIOs. Add those new IT bosses to the ranks of recently retired or departed CIOs, and that means about 30 state CIOs will be new come 2011. (See the interactive U.S. map below for further details, including current officeholders.)

Some state CIOs have said the expected turnover could blunt progress — at least temporarily — on major technology initiatives, as several states continue work on enterprisewide IT consolidations.

Utah CIO Steve Fletcher, who just wrapped his yearlong tenure as president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), said Wednesday the new blood coming into the organization will be a big opportunity and a big challenge.

"We will have a lot of new CIOs to train and a lot of new administrations to educate," Fletcher said. NASCIO is gearing up for both sets of people.

John W. Hickenlooper


Photo: Colorado Governor-elect John Hickenlooper

Many of the new CIOs will be in populous states that are stalwarts in the Digital States Survey. All of them will take over big IT initiatives that are under way. For example, new California Gov. Jerry Brown and his new CIO will inherit an IT consolidation that’s been ongoing for the past two years. Outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration believes the work will eventually save the state billions of dollars. The project was codified into law recently; Schwarzenegger officials hope the legislation means the consolidation will continue into the next administration.

Florida and New York state also will have new governors, which could mean the new administrations will pick a new CIO. For the past few years, Florida’s executive branch has been trying to give the state CIO more authority, but it remains to be seen if that effort will be a priority after the state’s leadership change. Meanwhile, in New York, incoming Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration will have to decide how to resolve a multibillion dollar IT staff services contract brought forth by the state Office for Technology that was rejected last week by the state comptroller, who was re-elected Tuesday.

In Iowa, Gov. Chet Culver was defeated. Culver had backed an IT consolidation that was in the early stages, and like California, was also backed by legislation. For the first time, Iowa is slated to hire a full-time CIO, but it likely won’t come during Culver’s watch.

Two IBM customers — Georgia and Texas — are in different stages of consolidation. Last year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Karen Robinson to remedy a troubled data center partnership with IBM. Perry breezed to a win Tuesday, so Robinson likely will stay at the Department of Information Resources. On the other hand, Georgia and CIO Patrick Moore have been trying to avoid the pitfalls that have beset recent consolidations that rely on a single vendor partner. Moore, if he stays as CIO, will have a new boss: incoming Gov. Nathan Deal.

NASCIO will be ready for all the changes, Fletcher said.

"We will have a CIO boot camp for incoming CIOs, and we have an issues brief for transition teams to educate them on the role and value of the CIO," he said.

For comprehensive coverage of the state and local political races — including results and blogs on the governors races, attorneys general results, ballot measures and mayoral races —  please visit Government Technology’s sister publication, Governing magazine.


  • Not Seeking Re-Election

  • Term-Limited Governors

  • Gubernatorial Races w/ No Incumbents

  • Governors Seeking Re-Election


NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION



Colorado

Outgoing Governor: Bill Ritter, Democrat
Incoming Governor: John Hickenlooper, Democrat
CIO: Leah Lewis (Status: Acting)

Colorado Deputy CIO Leah Lewis became acting state CIO in June when Mike Locatis left Colorado to become chief deputy CIO of California. Locatis was appointed Colorado CIO by Gov. Bill Ritter in 2007 and led a wide-ranging IT consolidation initiative.

Recent News: Colorado launches ambitious data sharing strategy



Connecticut

Outgoing Governor: Jodi Rell, Republican
Incoming Governor: Dan Malloy, Democrat
CIO: Diane Wallace (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Jodi Rell, a Republican, took office in 2004 after Gov. John Rowland resigned. Rell, who did not seek re-election, tapped Diane Wallace to run the state’s Department of Information Technology in 2005. Before her appointment, Wallace was vice president for IT at CNA Financial Corp. in Chicago.

Recent News: Connecticut encrypts state laptops as part of data protection effort



Kansas

Outgoing Governor: Mark Parkinson, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Sam Brownback, Republican
CIO: Joe Hennes (Status: Uncertain)

Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson assumed office in 2009 after President Barack Obama appointed Kathleen Sebelius secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Parkinson did not seek re-election.

Recent News: Kansas capital changes name in bid for Google fiber



Minnesota

Outgoing Governor: Tim Pawlenty, Republican
Incoming Governor: Mark Dayton, Democrat, leading (recount likely)
CIO: Gopal Khanna (Status: Resigning)

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who did not seek a third term, appointed state CIO Gopal Khanna in 2005 to lead the IT portion of an ambitious government reform agenda known as the "Drive to Excellence." Among other things, Khanna pushed for standardization and consolidation of hardware and software acquisition, an effort that reportedly saved the state $200 million. Khanna announced in September that he will resign Dec. 15.

Recent News: Minnesota launches landmark Microsoft cloud collaboration



New York

Outgoing Governor: David Paterson, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Andrew Cuomo, Democrat
CIO: Melodie Mayberry-Stewart (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. David Paterson assumed office in 2008 after Eliot Spitzer’s resignation. Gov. Eliot Spitzer appointed Melodie Mayberry-Stewart state CIO in 2007. Mayberry-Stewart, the former CIO of Cleveland, has pushed to consolidate state IT resources like e-mail systems and improve the diversity of state IT contractors.

Recent News: State controller questions IT staff augmentation contract



Vermont

Outgoing Governor: Jim Douglas, Republican
Incoming Governor: Peter Shumlin, Democrat
CIO: David Tucker (Status: Uncertain)

Republican Gov. Jim Douglas did not seek a fifth term. Douglas appointed David Tucker state CIO and commissioner of the Department of Information and Innovation in 2009.

Recent News:Vermont adopts open source software policy



Wisconsin

Outgoing Governor: Jim Doyle, Democrat, elected 2002, not seeking third term
Incoming Governor: Scott Walker, Republican
CIO: Oskar Anderson (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, did not seek a third term. State CIO Oskar Anderson was appointed to the post in 2007. He had been CIO for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue since 2001.

Recent News: Wisconsin bans trashing of electronics



Wyoming

Outgoing Governor: Dave Freudenthal, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Matt Mead, Republican
CIO: Robert von Wolffradt (Status: Uncertain)

Outgoing Gov. Dave Freudenthal, elected in 2002, did not seek a third term. State CIO Bob von Wolffradt has been Wyoming’s top IT official since 2007.

Recent News: Wyoming to move state employees to Google Apps


 

TERM-LIMITED GOVERNORS



Alabama

Outgoing Governor: Bob Riley, Republican
Incoming Governor: Robert Bentley, Republican
CIO: Jack Doane (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Bob Riley, who was term-limited this year, appointed Jack Doane as director Alabama’s Information Services Division this year. The division provides computer networking, e-mail, websites, programming, telephones and general information technology services for 38,000 state employees.

Recent News: Alabama debuts iPhone app for government info



California

Outgoing Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican
Incoming Governor: Jerry Brown, Democrat
CIO: Teri Takai: (Status: Resigning)

California CIO Teri Takai announced in October that she would become CIO for the U.S. Department of Defense. Takai, appointed CIO by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007, led efforts to consolidate IT infrastructure and implement enterprise IT planning throughout California’s massive state government bureaucracy. State officials say the consolidation will save nearly $3 billion by 2013.

Recent News: California’s Teri Takai to Become Defense CIO



Georgia

Outgoing Governor: Sonny Perdue, Republican
Incoming Governor: Nathan Deal, Republican
CIO: Patrick Moore (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Sonny Perdue, who was term-limited this year, appointed Patrick Moore as state CIO in 2007. Moore, who had served as the governor’s deputy chief operating officer, leads one of the nation’s most comprehensive IT outsourcing projects. Under deals signed in 2008, Georgia is outsourcing much of its IT infrastructure to IBM and AT&T.

Recent News: Georgia aims to save money with IBM outsourcing deal



Hawaii

Outgoing Governor: Linda Lingle, Republican
Incoming Governor: Neil Abercrombie, Democrat
CIO: None



Maine

Outgoing Governor: John Baldacci, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Paul LePage, Republican
Acting CIO: Greg McNeal (Status: Uncertain)

Greg McNeal became Maine’s CIO when long-time state CIO Dick Thompson retired in July. Outgoing Gov. John Baldacci, who was term limited, appointed Thompson to the CIO post in 2003. Thompson led a consolidation that put all executive-branch IT resources and staff under the state Office of Information Technology.

Recent News: Maine Expands Health IT Efforts



Michigan

Outgoing Governor: Jennifer Granholm, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Rick Snyder, Republican
CIO: Phyllis Mellon (Status: Acting)

Phyllis Mellon became Michigan’s acting state CIO in September when Ken Theis left public service for a private-sector job. Mellon is deputy director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB). Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who was term-limited this year, appointed Theis state CIO in 2007. Earlier this year, Theis had been named director of the DTMB – a new agency formed by merging the state Department of Information Technology with the Department of Management and Budget.

Recent News: Broadband is a key part of Michigan's shared services push



New Mexico

Outgoing Governor: Bill Richardson, Democrat, elected 2002. Term-limited
Incoming Governor: Susana Martinez, Republican
CIO: Marlin Mackey

Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, who was term-limited this year, appointed Marlin Mackey state CIO in 2009. Mackey leads an effort to renegotiate technology contracts that has lower operating costs and saved $3.5 million, according to state officials.

Recent News: New Mexico to save $3.5 million on renegotiated IT contracts



Oklahoma

Outgoing Governor: Brad Henry, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Mary Fallin, Republican
CIO: Alex Pettit (Status: Uncertain)

Oklahoma's state CIO position was created through legislation in 2009. Gov. Brad Henry, who was term-limited this year, appointed Alex Pettit to the position earlier this year, making him the state’s first CIO. Pettit, a technology consultant based in Denton, Texas, spent 10 years as chief technology officer for the city of Denton.

Recent News: Oklahoma’s first state CIO starts work



Oregon

Outgoing Governor: Ted Kulongoski, Democrat, elected 2002. Term-limited
Incoming Governor: Chris Dudley, Republican; John Kitzhaber, Democrat (Too Close to Call)
CIO: Dugan Petty (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who was term-limited this year, appointed Dugan Petty as state CIO in 2007. Petty has led Oregon’s enterprise IT planning initiative, which is aimed at reducing duplication of technology systems and resources.

Recent News: Flexible Procurement Terms Help States Boost Competition for IT Contracts



Pennsylvania

Outgoing Governor: Ed Rendell, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Tom Corbett, Republican
CIO: Tony Encinias (Status: Acting)

Pennsylvania Chief Technology Officer Tony Encinias has served as interim CIO -- while retaining the CTO position – since state CIO Brenda Orth resigned in October. Orth was appointed to Pennsylvania’s top technology position in 2008 by Gov. Ed Rendell, who was term-limited this year. The state has been a pioneer in IT consolidation since outsourcing much of its computing infrastructure in 1999.

Recent News: Pennsylvania conquers reporting data for the stimulus



Rhode Island

Outgoing Governor: Donald Carcieri, Republican
Incoming Governor: Lincoln Chafee, Independent
CIO: John Landers (Status: Uncertain)

Term-limited Gov. Donald Carcieri appointed John Landers to the Rhode Island CIO position in 2007. Landers is a former CIO for Filene's retail stores.

Recent News: Rhode Island Launches Enhanced Web Site



South Carolina

Outgoing Governor: Mark Sanford, Republican
Incoming Governor: Nikki Haley, Republican
CIO: Thomas Lucht (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Mark Sanford, who was term-limited this year, appointed Thomas Lucht CIO in 2008. Lucht led South Carolina’s Information Technology Division through a transition that included a change in name, approach and leadership, all of which were aimed at becoming more responsive to customers' requirements.

Recent News: South Carolina Redesigns State Web Portal, Adds Features



South Dakota

Outgoing Governor: Mike Rounds, Republican
Incoming Governor: Dennis Daugaard, Republican
CIO: Otto Doll (Status: Uncertain)

Appointed South Dakota's first chief information officer in 1996, Otto Doll is one of the nation’s longest-serving CIOs. South Dakota centralized all of its technology operations within the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications when Doll was appointed, becoming one of the first states to consolidate IT.

Recent News: South Dakota CIO discusses Web strategy for rural states



Tennessee

Outgoing Governor: Phil Bredesen, Democrat
Incoming Governor: Bill Haslam, Republican
CIO: Mark Bengel (Status: Uncertain)

Mark Bengel was named Tennessee’s chief technology officer in 2004 and was promoted to state CIO in 2007. As CIO Bengel has worked to modernize the state’s IT infrastructure and capabilities while embracing consolidation and a centralized infrastructure.

Recent News: CIO Mark Bengel discusses Tennessee's consolidation efforts


 

GUBERNATORIAL RACES WITH NO INCUMBENTS



Florida

Outgoing Governor: Charlie Crist, Independent
Incoming Governor: Rick Scott, Republican
CIO: David Taylor (Status: Uncertain)

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed David Taylor as Florida’s CIO in 2008. Taylor, former CIO for the Florida Department of Health, leads the state’s Agency for Enterprise Information Technology, which is responsible for strategic IT planning.

Recent News: Florida governor announces new CIO



Nevada

Outgoing Governor: Jim Gibbons, Republican
Incoming Governor: Brian Sandoval, Republican
CIO: CIO Dan Stockwell (Status: Uncertain)

Dan Stockwell, the director and CIO of the Nevada Department of Information Technology, was appointed by outgoing Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2007. Gibbons lost in 2010’s primary election.

Recent News: Clark County, Nev., rolls out data analytics for social services


 

GOVERNORS SEEKING RE-ELECTION



Alaska

Incumbent: Sean Parnell, Republican
Winner: Sean Parnell, Republican
Director of Enterprise Technology Services: Anand Dubey (Status: Unchanged)

Gov. Sean Parnell assumed office in 2009 following Sarah Palin’s resignation. Anand Dubey was appointed the director of the Enterprise Technology Services Division in 2007, during Gov. Sarah Palin’s administration.

Recent News: Alaska and other states and localities explore alternatives to “Big ERP.”



Arizona

Incumbent: Jan Brewer, Republican
Winner: Jan Brewer, Republican
CIO: Chad Kirkpatrick (Status: Unchanged)

Gov. Jan Brewer assumed office in 2009 following Janet Napolitano’s appointment as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Brewer named Chad Kirkpatrick CIO in 2009. He replaced Chris Cummiskey.

Recent News: CIO Chad Kirkpatrick discusses Arizona’s e-mail consolidation



Arkansas

Incumbent: Mike Beebe, Democrat
Winner: Mike Beebe, Democrat
CTO: Claire Bailey (Status: Unchanged)

Gov. Mike Beebe was elected in 2006, and appointed Claire Bailey the CTO of Arkansas and the agency director of the Department of Information Systems, which is responsible for the state’s network, telecommunications services and information systems.

Recent News: Arkansas CTO Claire Bailey discusses the state’s interoperability



Idaho

Incumbent: Butch Otter, Republican
Winner: Butch Otter, Republican
CIO: Teresa Luna (Status: Interim)

Gov. Butch Otter was elected in 2006. Teresa Luna is the interim director of the Idaho Department of Administration.

Recent News: New Medicaid system in Idaho hits speed bumps



Illinois

Incumbent: Pat Quinn, Democrat
Winner: Pat Quinn, Democrat; or Bill Brady, Republican (Too Close to Call)
CIO: Greg Wass (Status: Uncertain)

Pat Quinn assumed the governor’s office in 2009 following Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment, conviction and removal from office. CIO Greg Wass was appointed in 2007.

Recent News: Greg Wass comments on enterprise-level data analytics



Iowa

Incumbent: Chet Culver, Democrat
Winner: Terry Branstad, Republican
Acting CIO: Lorrie Tritch

Outgoing Gov. Chet Culver, who was elected in 2006, set into motion a statewide IT consolidation that’s backed by legislation. The initiative will hire a full-time CIO. The role is currently filled by Lorrie Tritch, the acting chief operating officer of the Department of Administrative Services /Information Technology Enterprise.

Recent News: Iowa to create a CIO office and expand IT consolidation



Maryland

Incumbent: Martin O’Malley, Democrat
Winner: Martin O’Malley, Democrat
Secretary of Information Technology: Elliot Schlanger (Status: Unchanged)

Eliot Schlanger followed Gov. Martin O’Malley to the statehouse in 2007, after Schlanger served as the city of Baltimore’s CIO when O’Malley was mayor.

Recent News: Gov. Martin O'Malley receives national technology champion award



Massachusetts

Incumbent: Deval Patrick, Democrat
Winner: Deval Patrick, Democrat
CIO: John Letchford (Status: Acting)

Acting CIO John Letchford took over for Ann Margulies, who left the Massachusetts government in August 2010 to become the CIO of Harvard University. Margulies led a statewide IT consolidation. Gov. Deval Patrick was first elected in 2006.

Recent News: Massachusetts IT consolidation continues despite CIO’s departure



Nebraska

Incumbent: Dave Heineman, Republican
Winner: Dave Heineman, Republican
CIO: Brenda Decker (Status: Unchanged)

Gov. Dave Heineman assumed office in 2005 following Mike Johann’s appointment as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, elected 2006. Heineman appointed Brenda Decker – a 20-year veteran of Nebraska state government -- as state CIO in 2005.

Recent News: CIO Brenda Decker details Nebraska’s transparency work



New Hampshire

Incumbent: John Lynch, Democrat
Winner: John Lynch, Democrat
CIO: Peter Hastings (Status: Interim)

Gov. John Lynch took office in 2004, the same year Richard Bailey became CIO and commissioner of the Office of Information Technology. The governor tasked Bailey with managing the Division of Motor Vehicles in 2010, and Peter Hastings took over as CIO on an interim basis.

Recent News: New Hampshire CIO put in charge of the DMV



Ohio

Incumbent: Ted Strickland, Democrat
Winner: John Kasich, Republican
CIO: Sam Orth (Status: Uncertain)

Outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland appointed CIO Sam Orth in 2009, replacing Steve Edmondson, who resigned in 2008. Ohio has been working on several IT projects, including the Connect Ohio initiative to improve broadband service to state and local government, and the public, and a shared services center for back-end business processes.

Recent News: Ohio Shared Services uses enterprise system to consolidate state financial services



Texas

Incumbent: Rick Perry, Republican
Winner: Rick Perry, Republican
CTO: Karen Robinson (Status: Unchanged)

In 2009, Gov. Rick Perry chose Karen Robinson, who has worked in the governor’s office in the past, to help turn around the state’s partnership with IBM for data center and IT services. The state recently announced it would seek new contractors for the data center consolidation initiative. With Perry’s re-election to a third term, that work should continue.

Recent News: Karen Robinson becomes the permanent CIO of Texas



Utah

Incumbent: Gary Herbert, Republican
Winner: Gary Herbert, Republican
CIO: Stephen Fletcher (Status: Unchanged)

Gov. Gary Herbert assumed office in 2009 following John Huntsman Jr.’s appointment as the U.S. Ambassador to China. During Huntsman’s administration in 2005, Stephen Fletcher was appointed the state’s CIO and executive director of the Department of Technology Services. Fletcher has lead consolidation of the state’s technology infrastructure and services.

Recent News: Utah CIO Steve Fletcher saves state millions of dollars in energy costs

 

Miriam Jones is a former chief copy editor of Government Technology, Governing, Public CIO and Emergency Management magazines.