IBM Taps Rockenstein for California Business Development

Mike Rockenstein, a well-known figure in California’s SLED market, has joined technology giant IBM as its director of business development in the state.

Most recently, Rockenstein served as the director of consulting services, business development and sales for CGI in the state. Before that, he was the director of business development and program management with Red River, formerly Natoma Technologies. His career also includes time with companies like Integrated Voting Solutions, Deloitte Consulting and others.

“[IBM has] got a good growth mindset and a good presence in California, and hopefully I can help expand that,” Rockenstein told Industry Insider.

Rockenstein said he’s looking forward to helping clients navigate their modernization challenges, layering in generative AI while also making the services they provide citizens more customer-centric.

“He truly is passionate about the mission to make government work better,” IBM Managing Client Partner Shaw-chin Chiu said. “As coming from someone who worked in the state and has been serving the state, it's very important for me that people are driven by the actual mission of helping California get better.”

Chiu added that Rockenstein’s extensive background in project and organizational change management made him an ideal fit on a team focused on better outcomes for state government and the citizens it serves.

“IBM Consulting has always had a solid delivery record. So, for me, it's not about just good storytelling; it's about how are you going to make it happen, and that's what we pride ourselves in. It's making sure that we actually can deliver to what we say we're going to do,” Chiu said.

Rockenstein holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.