Workforce and People

They are young, starting careers and are beginning to vote. But Gen Z and its traits and attitudes promise to influence gov tech soon enough. What can the industry do now to prepare for that future?

Tarek Tomes, who was appointed by Minn. Gov. Tim Walz in 2019, will stay on to lead Minnesota IT Services in a cabinet-level position. Tomes is one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency announced Wednesday that it has chosen Deloitte to replace the decade-old Michigan Integrated Data Automated System, which has struggled to detect fraud.

A study on municipal operations recommended that the city hire more staff and introduce more technology to address needs in its building, planning and code enforcement departments.

In just the last week, tech companies Twitter, Lyft, Stripe and Meta have all announced large-scale job cuts. Data suggests San Francisco's tech industry job losses may have actually started several months earlier.

SpaceX has begun constructing a half-million-square-foot building on a rural property in Bastrop, right across the street from where another Elon Musk-owned business venture, The Boring Company, has taken up residence.

Jefferson Lab, the Department of Energy particle accelerator facility in Newport News, plans to hire dozens of new positions and upgrade research equipment and workspaces with millions in new federal funding.

Expecting its first group of graduates in spring 2024, a new bachelor of science in engineering technology program at Ohio State University at Lima could improve the talent pipeline for area manufacturers.

New data pulled from the Department of General Services’ data dashboard shows that the majority of state agencies are forging ahead with remote work arrangements. Some 90 percent of staff are working remotely in 37 departments.

Ralph Johnson returns to the Pacific Northwest after leading information security operations for NantMedia Holdings, which owns The Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune. Johnson also served as CISO for King County, Wash.

The moves aim to bolster higher ed cyber training, narrow workforce gaps and open access to services for municipalities, small businesses and nonprofits. Two campuses will open SOCs and cyber ranges in 2023 and 2024.

The city of Saint Paul, Minn., has appointed a new director/CIO and a new deputy director/CISO within the Office of Technology and Communications to shape the city’s technology work and cyber initiatives.

Every state has a chief information officer to oversee state IT. Based on Government Technology’s analysis of hundreds of state CIOs going back to 1994, you can test how well you know the industry.

The five-year-old company said it served 35 local governments, helping them buy fireworks, IT systems and even sonography services for cemeteries. The Gov Tech 100 firm recently partnered with CentralSquare Technologies.

With gubernatorial elections in 36 states this November, some state CIOs may want to consider the implications of politics on their job prospects. The data suggests that elections can bring about changes in leadership.

The new Upskill Together program from SkillStorm and a host of university and private-sector partners aim to give tech credentials and training to students from underserved communities who demonstrate financial need.

As the state makes a big push to the cloud, CIO Shawnzia Thomas explained how replacing Georgia’s 20-year-old ERP platform with a new, standardized solution will help set the stage for the next generation of state staff.

Ken Boykin, who has worked with the state for the last five years, will become its new chief data officer Oct. 31. He replaces Youri Antonin, who left the position in November 2019.