As part of Industry Insider — California’s ongoing efforts to educate readers on state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.
Emily Bither is an IT Manager I at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, a role she has had since March. A longtime state staffer, Bither had been an IT Supervisor II at CDCR since January 2022; and before that, was an IT Supervisor for more than two years. She joined the department in human resources in February 2007.
Bither has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from California State University, Sacramento. In February, she was recognized with a Leadership Award at the 2023 California Public Sector CIO Academy.*
Industry Insider — California: Take us through your time in the public sector. How long have you been at the state, how long have you been at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and how long have you been in your current role?
Bither: I started with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 2007 as a Staff Services Analyst in Human Resources. Over the next 13 years I worked in various HR capacities and roles, working my way up to a Staff Services Manager II. At that level, I was given an opportunity to take on an HR team that worked closely with our IT partners on our HR systems including system applications and products (SAP) and Workforce TeleStaff. I’d always enjoyed my role as a project manager and leader in HR, and I enjoyed the more technical aspects of learning the software systems. It was a natural progression to follow my interests, and I decided to make a career change to IT in 2020 as an IT Supervisor I. Since joining CDCR’s IT team I have had two promotions, most recently to an IT Manager I, which I started in March 2023.
IICA: How would you describe your current role in terms of responsibilities and duties? How large is your current team?
Bither: As I mentioned, I was recently promoted to an IT Manager I. In this role, I lead two business analyst teams consisting of 45 employees. My team is responsible for the functional design, testing, and maintenance and operation of our department’s SAP system as well as a few other smaller solutions. I’m also responsible for leading and developing our business analysts to lead large IT projects. For the largest and most critical projects, I do IT project management myself, as I have done for our SuccessFactors implementation.
IICA: What big IT initiatives or projects are you working on? What sorts of projects might be coming your way in 2023?
Bither: The biggest initiatives I am at work on right now are our SuccessFactors implementation as well as several large custom enhancements to our SAP system including a locksmith inventory module, armory tracking module, and a timesheet and leave request module. On the horizon, we have a large phased expansion of our Workforce TeleStaff implementation as well as looking at ways to better modernize and enhance our system to process and track vendor contracts.
IICA: You accepted a CIO Leadership Award at last month’s California Public Sector CIO Academy. Can you share a bit about the work that led to you receiving that award, the needs it resolved, its goals and your role in it?
Bither: I received this award for my work as the project manager on the SuccessFactors project. The SuccessFactors implementation includes recruiting, hiring, onboarding and offboarding. These systems were in great need at CDCR as we are currently working with outdated and limited functionality in our current recruiting and hiring solution. We had no system for onboarding or offboarding, and it is being done entirely manually today. The implementation of SuccessFactors will enhance the candidate experience to attract top talent, reduce hiring time and enhance transparency throughout the hiring process.
IICA: What best practices might you offer as a result of having completed that work?
Bither: When implementing enterprisewide solutions, it is imperative to get the right people on your team. You need business knowledge, engagement, forward thinkers and a positive attitude. Working with the right implementation partner is also critical. For this solution, we are working with EPI-USE and their knowledge and experience with the product has been critical to our success. Next, have a robust change management and marketing plan. We have a Change Champion team that includes representatives from all our program areas who have been brought in on the project and can share information back to their respective areas. We are also doing podcasts, newsletters, town halls and system demonstrations to build excitement around the project and ease our end users into this change over time so that when go-live time comes, everyone has a lot of familiarity with the product. Lastly, ensure you have executive support. Our executive leadership has been instrumental in ensuring the project remains a top priority, removing barriers and giving guidance on those tough decision points that come up in every project.
IICA: In your time at CDCR — or at another state entity — what IT project or achievement are you most proud of?
Bither: While I am extremely proud of the work that has been done for the SuccessFactors project, I would say I am most proud of the leadership and coaching I provide to my teams. I am greatly investing in developing my teams, supporting them and creating an environment where people feel safe to take risks and do things that have never been done before. Being able to see my staff grow, from fresh-out-of-college technicians to IT supervisors, brings me great pride. As a leader, I am proud to be developing the next generation of future leaders that will drive state information technology initiatives for years to come.
IICA: What has surprised you most this year in government technology?
Bither: It has been a pleasant surprise to see so many technology goals at the forefront. At CDCR, one of our four main strategic goals is technology and developing an IT strategy to implement systems capable of managing both current needs and anticipated growth. When there is strategic alignment, big things happen! One of the big trends in government technology is movement to the cloud, and CDCR is no exception. With technology goals set, we have the foundation to support cloud technology, which we are putting into practice with our SuccessFactors implementation.
IICA: What do you read to stay abreast of developments in the govtech/SLED sector?
Bither: I enjoy collaborating with other California public-sector agencies at various events and roundtables. The corrections industry has unique technology problems and we often collaborate with other state correctional agencies on their technology. I also follow Government Technology* and other IT publications as well as podcasts. Marketplace Tech is a great one and though it is not specific to government technology, they cover public-sector topics.
IICA: What are your favorite hobbies, and what do you enjoy reading?
Bither: I love being in nature, so anything that gets me out in the trees such as hiking or camping feeds my soul. I also enjoy spending time with my husband, two children and my friends. I’m an avid fiction reader and enjoy many genres including contemporary, mystery, action and adventure, historical fiction and romance.
*The 2023 California Public Sector CIO Academy was hosted by Government Technology magazine, a publication of e.Republic, which also produces Industry Insider — California.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for style and brevity.
Corrections IT Manager: ‘I Am Greatly Investing in Developing My Teams’
