His selection, by Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, affirms Eichten to officially succeed Tarek Tomes, who served as commissioner and state CIO for more than seven years before announcing his departure in February.
Eichten will lead MNIT, the agency responsible for providing enterprise technology services to Minnesota’s executive branch agencies. In a statement released with the state’s announcement, the CIO said he intends to build on work already underway at the agency.
“Tarek Tomes built a strong foundation for enterprise technology in Minnesota, and I look forward to continuing that work with our partners across state government to deliver secure, modern and reliable technology services for Minnesotans,” Eichten said.
Eichten joined MNIT in 2012 and has held several leadership roles within the agency over the past decade. Most recently, he served as deputy commissioner, overseeing internal business operations for the agency, coordinating technology partnerships with state departments and managing software application services that support individual agencies.
Earlier in his tenure, Eichten was MNIT’s government relations director for six years, after the passage of Minnesota’s IT consolidation law. In that role, he worked on policy and funding proposals tied to the state’s effort to consolidate government IT operations; and as a liaison between MNIT and the Minnesota Legislature.
In the announcement, Walz noted Eichten’s time at MNIT — 14 years, according to LinkedIn — crediting him with helping guide major statewide technology efforts.
“As a trusted leader at MNIT for more than a decade,” Walz said, “Jon has played a key role in building the strong technology foundation Minnesota relies on — strengthening cybersecurity, modernizing our systems and delivering reliable digital services for Minnesotans.”
