As Washington Readies for IT Leadership Change, CIO Urges Adaptability

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The state of Washington is on the cusp of leadership change and an end to the brief tenure of acting CIO Vikki Smith. Despite her leadership role at Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) coming to a close, Smith urged state and local IT leaders to be adaptive and thoughtful in their ongoing efforts.

 

Smith took the reins after the retirement of acting CIO Rob St. John in June 2018. Now, Smith acknowledges the clock is running down on here time as the agency’s lead, and an official with Gov. Jay Inslee’s office say that the names of potential successors has been compiled but is not public yet. 

 

St. John’s time with the agency was also brief. He stepped in after Michael Cockrill resigned to pursue a position in the private sector in Oct. 2017.

 

Prior to being tapped to lead WaTech, Smith served in a variety of roles within the state’s Department of Revenue since 1970, beginning as clerical staff and rising through the ranks and holding a number of leadership roles at various divisions there. She is on leave from that department during her time as acting CIO. 

 

In her opening remarks at the Washington Digital Government Summit*, Smith highlighted the need for technologist to embrace change, bearing in mind that technology is “fickle” and ever-changing.

 

“Realize that the role you play makes it so much easier for your organizations to do business, and yet with it comes a price,” Smith said. “You probably worry if [Microsoft] Exchange is up… Technology is fickle and you guys have to stay ever-vigilant and make sure that you use the best that you can and that you always have insight in the game.”

 

Like many other states, Washington is dealing with myriad challenges ranging from application modernizations and procurement to cybersecurity and adjusting to emerging technologies. 

 

“When you think about it, I want you to all kind of embrace technology and embrace the change,” she said. 

 

This hinges on training incoming staff and being alert to the changing technologies and the impacts they will have on the larger organization. “… We need to be adaptive, we need to be thinking about what’s next and embracing that as a part of change.

 

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said an announcement for the state’s permanent CIO is expected in the near future.

 

The Digital Government Summit is hosted by Government Technology’s parent company, e.Republic.