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CIO Tom McQuillan Retiring from Prince William County, Va.

After a lengthy IT career spanning state and local government, McQuillan will leave public service in March.

After seven years of service to Prince William County, Va., government, CIO Tom McQuillan announced his retirement in early January.

Though McQuillan’s leave is not effective until March 3, his last day with the Department of Information Technology will be Feb. 3. Prince William County (PWC) is the third largest county in Virginia, with more than 430,000 residents.

In a letter to County Executive Christopher Martino, McQuillan said he was blessed to work with the local government and praised leadership and staff throughout the organization. “It has been a great honor and privilege to serve this organization since July 12, 2010,” he wrote. “PWC has certainly been the pinnacle of my career and the opportunities, support and trust that has been given to me in my duties as CIO will always firmly remain etched in my mind,” McQuillan continued.

The outgoing CIO’s career in technology spans more than 35 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to coming onboard with Prince William County, McQuillan served as the deputy secretary of the New Mexico Department of Information Technology, ran his own consulting firm and spent more than two decades as the IT director for Grand Rapids, Mich. 

In 2011, Government Technology profiled McQuillan's work as a state CIO who moved to local government. At the time, he said that working for New Mexico state government made him a better municipal CIO. “We’re running our public safety radio network here in Prince William County, and I’ve gained some valuable insight and experience [in New Mexico] that I think would be very difficult for a CIO to have unless they grew up on the radio side of the business as a technician.”

In a statement on LinkedIn, McQuillan echoed the sentiments shared in his letter to county leadership, but added humor to the occasion. “While many of you may think that I am too young to retire, let me assure you that my outward boyish looks are deceiving. I have spent almost 42 years in the IT industry with almost 35 years at the Director/CIO position. PWC has been like hitting a 'Home Run' and it is truly a pleasure to work with honorable people!” he wrote.

County spokesperson Jason Grant said a replacement for McQuillan is likely to be named in April or May.

McQuillan could not be reached for a comment on his departure from public service.

Eyragon Eidam is the web editor for Government Technology magazine, after previously serving as assistant news editor and covering such topics as legislation, social media and public safety. He can be reached at eeidam@erepublic.com.