CalRecycle CIO: ‘We Will Continue to Adapt Our Approach’

As part of Industry Insider — California’s ongoing efforts to inform readers about state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.

Mark Eubanks is the chief information officer for the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the agency that oversees recycling and waste management initiatives throughout the state. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from California State University, Sacramento.

Industry Insider — California: As CIO for your organization, how do you describe your role? How have your role and responsibilities changed in recent years in terms of their intersection with IT and innovation?

Eubanks: The CIO role is multilayered, involving strategic planning, seeking out and encouraging innovation, service improvement, and technology leadership including communicating vision and aligning business and IT goals. It’s an exciting time to be at the intersection of IT and business growth, developing solutions that enhance current services and prepare CalRecycle for the future.

IICA: Does your organization have a strategic plan, and may we hyperlink to it? How big a role do you personally play in writing that strategic plan?

Eubanks: CalRecycle supports the CalEPA Unified Strategic Plan.

IICA: What big initiatives or projects are coming up? What sorts of developing opportunities and RFPs should we be watching for in the next six to 12 months?

Eubanks: CalRecycle released the CalRecycle Integrated Information System (CRIIS) request for proposals (RFP) on Dec. 12, 2023. The CRIIS RFP will engage a solution integration (SI) vendor to discover, design, develop and implement a single, enterprisewide solution to streamline how CalRecycle administers recyclable material and waste management programs. CRIIS will be a scalable solution. This means the system can be more easily configured to meet increasing demands for CalRecycle to manage additional materials and implement new programs.

IICA: In your opinion, what should local government be doing more of in technology?

Eubanks: Cloud technology: The adoption of cloud solutions is crucial. Cloud technology enables flexibility, scalability and cost-effectiveness, shifting from capital to operational expenditures and aligning with budgets cycles.

Artificial intelligence: AI-driven responses to security events can provide immediate actions to prevent bad actors from gaining access to sensitive data.

Digital equity initiatives: Bridging the digital divide, making technology accessible to all residents is essential for inclusion.

Secure identity and access management: Strengthening security through robust identity management systems is crucial. Protecting the integrity of data and ensuring secure access and availability for staff, our public-private partners as well as citizens.

Open data initiatives: Making government data accessible and transparent fosters innovation, empowers citizens and encourages collaboration with the private sector.

Hybrid workspace management: As remote work becomes more prevalent, government entities have and will continue investing in tools that facilitate efficient collaboration and productivity for both in-person and remote teams.

Geographic information systems (GIS): Leveraging GIS technology enhances spatial analysis, planning and decision-making.

IICA: How do you define “digital transformation”? How far along is your organization in that process, and how will you know when it’s finished?

Eubanks: Developing a framework for building and implementing digital transformation. CalRecycle is embarking on a departmentwide enterprise technology change for all the programs we are building on the successful transformations of the virtual desktop and infrastructure to the cloud. We will continue to adapt our approach to change to enhance the efficiency of each new change.

IICA: What is your estimated IT budget and how many employees do you have? What is the overall budget?

Eubanks: CalRecycle’s overall budget included in the Jan. 10, 2024, governor’s release includes a total of 1,049 staff and $1,936,762,000, which includes both state operations and local assistance funding. CalRecycle’s IT budget is a portion of the overall budget and is often cyclical in nature as priorities and the needs of the department change. CalRecycle’s IT Services Branch includes 70 employees dedicated to supporting the needs of both CalEPA and CalRecycle.

IICA: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors, including via social media such as LinkedIn? How might vendors best educate themselves before meeting with you?

Eubanks: LinkedIn is the best approach. Look for opportunities to make CalRecycle more effective and efficient. This is what I look for every day.

IICA: In your tenure in this position, which project or achievement are you most proud of?

Eubanks: Moving infrastructure and development to the cloud. The team learned, then moved our virtual desktop from an on-premises solution to Azure Virtual Desktop. The teams then learned to support and moved 98 percent of all of infrastructure and development to Azure IaaS and DevOps respectively, all while working remotely.

IICA: What has surprised you most in government technology during the past 12 months?

Eubanks: AI’s expansion into every aspect of IT.

IICA: What do you read to stay abreast of developments in the gov tech/SLED sector?

Eubanks: GovTech*; State, Federal, and CyberScoop; Business2Community; Experfy; X feeds; Gartner; LinkedIn; also tracking business side, Smart Cities Dive, Waste Dive, Trucking Dive, etc.

IICA: What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy reading?

Eubanks: Anything I can do with my family and friends, and I read everything.

Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for style and brevity.

*Government Technology and Industry Insider — California are both a part of e.Republic.