With the recent departures of CalPERS CIO Dale Jablonsky and IT executive Karen Ruiz, the pension system has hired former EDD CIO and Chief Deputy Director Mike Howland to temporarily serve in the top IT position, according to an internal staff email.
Howland will “assist the organization during the transition period…to serve as an Executive Liaison for Technology Delivery until a new Chief Information Officer is hired,” said a staff memo from Deputy Executive Officer Douglas Hoffner.
Howland has more than 40 years of state service, recently retiring from EDD as chief deputy director. In August of 2010, he returned to the state as a retired annuitant to serve as CIO of EDD, replacing Jablonksy who left EDD to work as CIO of CalPERS.
In February, Howland was honored by the CIO Academy as Chief Information Officer of the Year.
Ruiz, who until yesterday was leading CalPERS’ IT organization and was director of the my|CalPERS project, has been appointed as project manager of CalHEERS. Tim Taylor will serve as the acting project director until a replacement is found, according to the memo.
