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Iowa CIO Robert von Wolffradt Steps Down After 6 Years

Re-elected Gov. Kim Reynolds has named Jeff Franklin, former deputy CIO and information security officer for the Department of Natural Resources, as Wolffradt’s interim replacement.

After more than six years as Iowa’s chief information officer, Robert von Wolffradt has stepped down from the position.

As Iowa’s top tech administrator, Wolffradt helped the state expand broadband access to more than 4,000 homes and 700 businesses, including $114 million worth of industry investment and more than 550 miles of fiber laid by providers. His office also updated the state’s Web portal for citizen engagement and started preparing Iowans for future tech jobs through cybersecurity training and apprenticeships, recording a 30 percent uptick in apprenticeship applications in the first quarter of 2018 and an average of 10,000 visitors to the site each month.

From 2007 to 2011, Wolffradt also served as CIO for Wyoming, where he led significant IT consolidation efforts and oversaw the installation of the first statewide cloud-based email system in the U.S. Prior to that he spent five years as IT director of Snohomish County, Wash.

He did immediately not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Wolffradt holds a master’s degree in computer resources and information management from Webster University, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Maryland.

In his stead, recently re-elected Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Jeff Franklin as interim director of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, effective Jan. 3. According to a news release, Franklin previously served as the deputy CIO, as an information security officer and administrator for the Department of Natural Resources, and worked at the Department of Administrative Services. He received his master’s degree in management information services from Iowa State University in 2006.

“I look forward to serving Governor Reynolds’ administration by leading the Office of the Chief Information Officer,” Franklin said in a statement. “As interim director, it will be my continued goal to provide accountability for the IT resources our state government uses, ensuring productivity for all our agencies.”