Since taking on the role of chief data officer (CDO) roughly 18 months ago, Christie Burris has led a series of efforts aimed at modernizing how the state manages and uses data. Her objective is not only to improve the ways that agencies manage and share information, but also to prepare the state for a future shaped by AI, cloud-native platforms and analytics.
But that data strategy isn’t being built in isolation — it’s closely aligned with the broader IT vision laid out by state Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione. Her office has outlined five key pillars for the state's technology road map: cross-agency collaboration, strengthening cybersecurity, embracing AI and emerging technologies, workforce development, and infrastructure reliability. Burris’ approach to data transformation is simply designed to support each of those areas.
Within this past year, her team has been busy building a foundation of data governance, starting with the creation of a coordinating council made up of chief information officers as well as other CDOs from across state agencies.
“This coordinating council will help drive cross-agency setting of frameworks and policies with flexibility for agencies to enact things that meet them where they are with their unique business and mission needs,” Burris told Government Technology.
To make sure the council’s decisions lead to real progress, Burris shared that the state is creating a data center of excellence with a team that will help “operationalize and implement the frameworks and the policies” that will come out of the coordinating council. Her office is actively recruiting for several positions in preparation for the center’s creation, including a data governance lead, a data literacy lead and a communications specialist.
Once these governance structures and teams are in place, the CDO says the state will need an improved way to organize and share data resources across agencies, making information more accessible and useful.
“We need a place for it. We want to be consistently building and curating, so we’re creating a statewide enterprise data hub,” she said. “This will be a one-stop shop where we'll be able to curate things that other state agencies are doing — data products that they have already built that maybe people oftentimes couldn’t find.”
She also said that agencies will be able to locate statewide policies, procedures, data products and toolkits in an enterprise data catalog with chat capabilities, so anyone who visits can find what they’re looking for across multiple state agencies.
North Carolina is also in the midst of a multiyear migration to cloud-native environments. Burris said the state’s Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC) — which handles domains like criminal justice, fraud, education and health care — is moving its large data warehouses to the cloud to enhance analytics capabilities and cross-agency data sharing.
The CDO emphasized, however, that their data modernization strategy isn’t just about upgrading technology — it’s equally about investing in people, especially as AI becomes more embedded in public service operations.
“We’re working to build a comprehensive data and AI training education program so that our current and future workforce is not just literate, but fluent,” she said.
To further support that vision, Burris is also collaborating with the state’s newly appointed deputy secretary for AI policy to develop a unified strategy that integrates risk management, workforce training and AI enablement.
That strategic alignment reflects Burris’ broader view of her role — for her, being Chief Data Officer isn’t just about governance; it’s about finding the balance between driving innovation and accountability.
“We are the connecting link between data protection and data enablement,” she said. “We cannot be so risk-averse that we fail to innovate, but we have a responsibility to ensure responsible, fit-for-purpose use of data that’s entrusted to us.”
Her forward-leaning approach to risk also shapes how she views the future of AI and emerging technologies. The CDO doesn’t just see AI as a tool that relies on data, but as a force that’s just beginning to transform data management itself.
“Up until now, we've been talking about whether your data is ready for AI. But very quickly, we're moving into AI for your data because AI tools can now help us,” she said.
The real key, Burris noted, lies in building a workforce that is data- and AI-fluent so they are equipped to understand, adapt to, and fully embrace emerging technologies as they come.
