North Dakota CIO Shawn Riley Announces Forthcoming Departure

North Dakota CIO Shawn Riley has announced his forthcoming departure from his role, which will be effective after his final day on Dec. 2, 2022.

As stated in the announcement from Gov. Doug Burgum, Riley’s resignation after nearly six years of service with the state will open the door for him to take on a role in the private sector as the new CEO of American operations with Bitzero International.

The state will open applications for the position with a job posting slated for Friday, but until a permanent replacement is selected, the state’s Deputy CIO Greg Hoffman has been appointed as interim CIO. Hoffman has served with the North Dakota Information Technology department since 2005, having led its Administrative Services Division since 2014.

Since Riley was appointed in March 2017, the state has made major strides in IT; among them were a centralized approach to technology and cybersecurity across state government, becoming the founding member of the Joint Cybersecurity Operations Command Center, and the shift to remote work for state employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have broken the stereotypes of what ‘state workers’ can do and have shattered expectations for technology in government,” wrote Riley in his letter of resignation, noting advances in both cybersecurity and education.

Prior to working with the state, Riley had served in various IT leadership positions for 17 years, including section head of information technology for the Mayo Clinic and CIO/CTO within the Mayo Clinic Health System.