On Wednesday, Steve Patterson, the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services’ (ITS) director of data services, stepped in as the state’s next chief technology officer. As CTO, he will help steer technology operations and advance long-term strategy.
Like many states, Mississippi has been expanding cloud services, strengthening cybersecurity, and exploring emerging technologies such as AI, while maintaining legacy systems and supporting agency-specific needs. CIO Craig Orgeron framed the state’s choice of Patterson as CTO as part of a larger effort to build capacity across state government, pointing to the need for leadership that can translate strategy into execution.
He replaces 20-year ITS veteran Brian Norwood, who departed for the private sector in November after four months as CTO. Orgeron said Patterson will focus on the transition at the start of his tenure.
“In the first 90 days, his priorities will center on ensuring a strong transition into the role, engaging closely with our executive leadership team and division leaders, and helping advance several key operational and strategic initiatives,” Orgeron said. Those efforts will include “supporting our continued modernization efforts, strengthening alignment across enterprise technology operations, and helping position ITS to meet a growing set of demands related to compute services of agencies across state government.”
Patterson’s time at ITS dates to March 2006, when he joined as open systems manager, a post he held for more than 13 years according to LinkedIn. He had been director of data services since March 2023 and, before that, had been director of digital services for nearly three years. The new CTO’s selection reflects his extensive institutional knowledge, Orgeron said.
“Steve has a strong combination of technical depth, leadership capability, and practical understanding of the operational challenges facing government IT organizations today,” Orgeron said. “And just as important, he understands the importance of collaboration, service, and execution in a public-sector environment.”
