Blagdon was tapped to lead the department as CIO and director of Enterprise Information Services (EIS) in June 2024, after serving as the communications director for CDCR’s Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) project. That project aimed to consolidate department databases into a unified and automated records system.
Asked what legacy he feels he is leaving, Blagdon said that he is most proud of the work done to foster the relationship between his team and the rest of CDCR — from the secretary’s office to the various divisions.“We’ve done a really good job with partnering with them and making it a two-way conversation, rather than the typical ‘I need this from EIS’ and throw it over the fence and then just have us jump and make it happen,” he said.
Before joining the CDCR in 2009, Blagdon served in a variety of leadership roles in both the public and private sectors — including the Employment Development Department, Public Sector Consultants and Sacramento County.
During his tenure with CDCR, improving data practices and moving away from paper-based processes have been a primary focus, followed closely by efforts to modernize the tools, technology and connectivity available to officers and inmates within CDCR facilities.
While he said that work is driven by an overarching strategy, the day-to-day is tactical firefighting and making sure the department is aligned with legislative mandates. He noted that facilities under the purview of CDCR are nothing short of small cities that require constant attention to function properly.
This work is challenged, but not derailed, by the state’s looming budget crisis. Blagdon said the roughly 700-person IT shop is looking to do more than ever with less funding, including the ongoing efforts to move into the second phase of its SAP S4 HANA cloud implementation and a transition from ViaPath to Securus Technologies for inmate communications.
“We have a humongous budget crisis, as you know. I’ve had my budget cut by millions of dollars, and we still have to keep the lights on and continue to do initiatives that are mandated by Assembly bills, Senate bills, etc., etc.,” he said. “So, we’re trying to get creative and do a modernization, get away from paper-based processes, saving the correctional officers time in the institutions … so they can do more productive things, rather than pushing paper around.”
“There’s definitely a lot to do still within CDCR. It’s a 24/7/365 shop, so it just does not shut down,” he added.
In his absence, EIS Deputy Director Jeffery Funk will be taking over as acting CIO until Gov. Gavin Newsom names a permanent replacement. Funk is no stranger to the CDCR mission, having spent the last 12 years with the department.
“It is definitely a challenging job, and the person coming in behind me as my successor has no small task at hand, but I know we’ll find somebody to do the job,” he said.
As for what he has planned for retirement, the outgoing CIO said he has a full roster of travel and enjoying time with his family planned.
