CIOs OF THE YEAR
Hong Sae, Chief Information Officer
City of Roseville
Technology is ingrained in our governmental organization like never before, from vital public safety communications, to robust public engagement, to key backbone functions of our internal/HR-financial team and to reliable operation of our municipal/state critical infrastructure. The common thread through all of these is information technology operation.
The strategic thinking, technical knowledge, innovation and leadership skills of Roseville CIO/MISAC President Hong Sae have consistently displayed great organizational benefits to both the California municipal and the state level. Sae and his team provide the tools/systems and leadership/strategies to allow Roseville and the state of California to operate in the most efficient way possible while also protecting our valuable infrastructure and data with state-of-the-art cybersecurity protocols.
Heather Pettit, Chief Information Officer
Judicial Council of California
In 2018 Pettit joined the Judicial Council as the CIO and has continued her endless energy and passion for driving technological change. Over the past four years, Pettit has transformed the provision of IT services within the branch.
Pettit’s leadership has resulted in the implementation of numerous key programs that provide increased access to the courts, including updated and standardized web templates and chat services to unify the courts throughout the state; an Ability to Pay traffic solution to provide payment options to those in need; remote video appearance solutions to provide more convenient and accessible options for appearing in court; a robust digitization effort to support the digital transformation of courts; a California Court translator application to provide translation services at front counters; increasing language access in the courts; as well as a foundational data warehouse solution to expand the branch data analytics strategy in support of increased transparency and access to the courts.
Over the past year, Pettit achieved the full adoption of the California Courts Connected framework, the commitment for ongoing permanent funding for innovation, and the implementation of a branchwide Information Security Office to increase the courts’ security posture and response capabilities.
CTO OF THE YEAR
Ryan Morris, Chief Technology Officer
Department of Health Care Access and Information
Ryan Morris has led the organization through numerous digital transformations of various platforms, earning him a respected and acknowledged role within the California technology community. The department is a recognized early adopter and exemplar for mature use of cloud infrastructure, master data management, hybrid workforce, IT service management, open source code and digital workflow automation systems such as CRM.
HALL OF FAME AWARD
Russ Nichols, Deputy State CIO and CDT Chief Deputy Director (retired)
California Department of Technology
Anyone who had an opportunity to work with Russ Nichols or hear him speak publicly will believe his reputation is built on straight talk and direct action. Prior to his well-deserved retirement in October 2022, Nichols’ vast public service spanned 32 years and included management and executive positions with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the State Controller’s Office and the California Department of Technology (CDT) in the role of deputy state CIO and CDT chief deputy director. He also served as acting state CIO and CDT deputy director for several months. His career included 11 years as CIO and IT director for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, a challenging role that constantly required him to “operate outside of his positional authority,” as he was fond of saying.
One of his most admirable qualities was his view that taking a chance is often worth the risk. As he said, “It might cost you your job, but you’ll still have your integrity, and frankly I’d still hire you.” This straightforward philosophy cemented his reputation in the foundation of government technology.
LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Following are the winners of CIO Leadership Awards for the 2023 California Public Sector CIO Academy:
Alexander Misin, Lead Programmer
CalHR
Alysha Nickles, Digital Portfolio Manager
Department of Health Care Access and Information
Ben Steinert, Enterprise Support Supervisor
CalHR
Bhargav Tandel, Solutions Engineer
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Bob Huskison, Deputy Director of Enterprise Operations
Office of Systems Integration
Brian Walsh, Information Technology Manager I
Department of Motor Vehicles
Cary Anderson, IT Specialist II
Server Engineering Team, CalPERS
Cheryl Carlson, DCSS Infrastructure and Operations Branch Chief
Department of Child Support Services
Chris Martin, Chief, Web Applications
Covered California
Earl Lew, IT Manager I
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Edythe Taylor, IT Manager I
Caltrans
Emily Bither, IT Supervisor II
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Eric Weber, Application Architect
Employment Development Department
Erin Case, IT Manager I
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Gabor Leidenfrost, Manager, Application/Interface/Release Support
CalPERS
Heidi Call, Service Center Solutions Scrum Master
Covered California
Helio Rodriguez, Chief, Enterprise Client Services and Support
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Janene DelMundo, IT Manager II, Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) Project Director
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Jasmin Williams, IT Manager I
Enterprise Information Services
Jennifer Uyeda Issertell, Assistant Deputy Director, Critical Service Office
Department of Technology
Jeremiah Sheckler, Security Architect
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Ken Keehner, Information Security Architect
Employment Development Department
Kerry Ditlevsen, IT Manager I
Franchise Tax Board
Kevin Kennedy, Senior Access and Security Engineer
Employment Development Department
Kimberly Crabtree, CalHHS Agency Enterprise Architect
Health and Human Services Agency
Kurt Wallner, IT Supervisor I
California Highway Patrol
Lawrence Troxler III, Head of Talent
California Office of Data and Innovation
Lynn Chan, Assistant Deputy Director
Department of Motor Vehicles
Maria Callander, IT Director
City of Carlsbad
MaryAnn Silva, IT Manager I
Enterprise Information Services
Michael Muth, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Phase II Project Director
Office of Systems Integration
Myrna Viloria, IT Manager I
California Highway Patrol
Nancy Cabangon, Senior Project Manager
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Nathan Black, Chief Information Security Officer
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Nick Buffalo, Project Manager and Business Analyst
CalHR
Raj Mudigonda, IT Manager I
Department of Social Services
Rebecca McCann, Business Analyst
Department of Social Services
Roland Bullock, IT Procurement Analyst
Employment Development Department
Rolland Kornblau, Director of Technology
City of San Bernardino
Ruby Raines, ISO Risk Manager
Employment Development Department
Scot Hargan, Network Engineer
Employment Development Department
Shilpa Nayak, Manager – Enterprise Analytics and Data Services
CalPERS
Simone Truong, Acting Management Services and Innovation Supervisor
Department of Health Care Access and Information
Sridhar Arjula, Chief, IT Solutions Delivery
California High-Speed Rail Authority
Stephanie Johnson, IT Manager II
Franchise Tax Board
Tracy Lee, Assistant Deputy Director, Critical Service Office
Department of Technology
Umamaheswari Seshathri, Technical Lead
Department of Social Services
Wing Lee, IT Supervisor II
Caltrans
Wendy Underhill, Mobility Project Team
Department of Water Resources
Zakiya Khabir, Engineering Management Lead
California Office of Data and Innovation
