Ashish Shukla — the incoming chief technology and enterprise services officer — takes over from Mark Combs, who earlier this year announced his retirement.
Combs was the state’s first-ever chief technology and enterprise services officer, or CTESO, and logged nine years of service helping to lead tech efforts in the Green Mountain State. Creation of the CTESO role from the chief technology officer position in 2025 reflected the centralization of the state Agency of Digital Services (ADS), a representative said in February.
Shukla started at the IRS in late 2022 and remained through December according to LinkedIn.
In his role as chief digital officer for the federal agency, he worked on cloud, cybersecurity, modernization and AI projects, according to his LinkedIn profile. His more than 20-year career also includes private-sector experience with IBM.
But this doesn’t appear to be Shukla’s first position at the state. Per LinkedIn, he joined the ADS business transformation office in June 2025, where he helped guide how Vermont ideates, builds, runs and delivers its services.
According to a statement from ADS, Shukla will now “lead design, operations and continuous improvement of the state’s technology infrastructure and service delivery.” He holds a master’s of science degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and executive MBAs from IE Business School and Brown University, per LinkedIn.
Shukla will continue the work of Combs, whom the agency credited with establishing and expanding enterprise tech services, upgrading older systems, and strengthening digital service delivery across state government.
“There is a strong opportunity to build on the agency’s foundation,” Shukla said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to close collaboration with our partners across state government to align technology with mission needs and drive practical, high-impact improvements.”
