Q&As With IT Leaders
“We need to build on our successes achieved during the pandemic, continue to be flexible and further expand our technology capabilities and civic responsibilities in the challenging years ahead. Over the past year, we’ve given our residents stability due to our ability to go virtual in a short amount of time,” says Hong Sae, chief information officer for the city of Roseville.
“In my opinion, the value of digital transformation is most evident when we create meaningful efficiencies, increase transparency and improve the user experience. As with many agencies in the state, CALPIA is continually transforming. I do not anticipate a day where we say we are finished; only a day where we ask ourselves what we’re going to tackle next,” says Suzie Changus, CIO for the California Prison Industry Authority.
“Probably the biggest challenge right now is, the security is ever-changing and very dynamic. It’s my job to utilize all the available funds that we have and the staff that we have and the technology to stay on top of any and all potential vulnerabilities within the agency,” says Mike Marshall, agency information security officer for the California Environmental Protection Agency.
“There may be another major evolution like the agricultural or industrial or informational ages, but I think in general, transformation is a forever process. That’s a part of my role to act as the counselor and try to help people accommodate change in their work lives,” says Brent Coe, chief information officer at the California Tahoe Conservancy.
“The role of the CIO has moved from being primarily technical to one that requires an understanding of the business requirements of the department and prioritizes our customer needs. Therefore, we are constantly adapting to meet their needs and developing forward-looking technology solutions,” says Scott Capulong, chief information officer at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
“I would say the role of CISO has evolved from being an IT-centered role to … definitely a strategic leadership function for most organizations,” says Jake Margolis, chief information security officer at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
“I would say just very simply that digital transformation, to me, is solving business problems using technology as an enabler. I don’t want ‘digital transformation’ to be a buzzword that doesn’t have any action behind it,” says Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe.
“Given the whole environment, we decided to take a step back and much more closely align our work with the overall organization; and rather than do a strategic plan, we said, ‘These are our priorities for the next two years until we can realign with the next CalPERS strategic plan,’” says Chief Information Officer Christian Farland.
“The majority of my role is making sure and communicating what our initiatives are, what we’re targeting here, how that’s going to improve our internal operations; and then, in the end, how does that improve the service to the end user?” says Chief Information Officer Bryan Sastokas.
“I view digital transformation as a foundational change in how an organization delivers value to its customers by solving business problems through an aggregation of modern processes and technology capabilities,” says Chief Information Officer Subbarao Mupparaju.
“I think the traditional role of the CIO has really evolved significantly over the past few years, and the CIO role is becoming much more aligned with the business and strategy of organizations,” says Chief Information Officer Jonathan Behnke.
“My function as CIO is best summed up in two words: service and security,” Chief Chris Childs says. “When it comes to service, IT’s role is to reduce the amount of time our officers spend thinking about technology, in turn providing them more time to spend serving the public. Regarding security, the department takes the protection of the public’s personal identifying information very seriously.”
“As OTA’s new CIO, I am working closely with the Executive Management Team and program staff to help bring technology innovations and best practices to the organization, to meet our missions and critical business needs,” says Chief Information Officer Hieu Truong.
“The environment felt very much like a startup," Thomas Boon said. “It was hectic, exciting, and my role was similar to that of a chief technology officer (CTO). ... Now, my primary role is to make sure that GO-Biz’s technology strategy serves its business strategy.”
"We’re using multiple database tools, we’re using multiple visualization platforms, we’re using multiple analytics platforms, and I’d like to leverage fewer of them to better support our environment," says Chief Information Officer Kevin Cornish.
Jon Kirkham, chief information officer at the California Department of Rehabilitation, shares his definition of digital transformation and discusses the ongoing Vocational Rehabilitation Connections Project as well as priorities for 2021.
Keson Khieu, chief information officer at the California Emergency Medical Services Authority, discusses the value of big data and data analytics as “a business differentiator for emergency medical services areas,” and the “organic” nature of digital transformation.
Chad Crowe, chief information officer at the California Department of Human Resources, discusses the many aspects of his work, an ongoing cross-agency Enterprise Human Resources effort, and speeding up procurement.
Transparency is a key principle for the Office of the Inspector General, says Bryan Beyer. As the office's chief deputy inspector general and technology chief, he says, "My focus remains on using the right technology for the right purpose."
Tara Moran is the first chief executive for the new California Water Data Consortium, which seeks to improve and share data in a way that helps the state manage its liquid assets. The organization’s goal, she says, is to create a strong, data-related foundation to support water policy discussions in the state.
David Noronha, the longtime chief information officer at the California Department of Insurance, discusses how the role of CIO at his department has changed, how technology has increased the pace of change, and major IT initiatives.
Chaeny Emanavin, director of the Office of Innovation at the California Health and Human Services Agency, discusses the merger of his office into a new entity, with an enhanced emphasis on data-driven decision-making, better service delivery and looking ahead.
Andrew Hinkle, chief information officer at the California Department of State Hospitals, discusses his agency’s move to telework; how it has enabled televisitations for patients during the time of COVID; and technology projects on the horizon.
Ahsan Baig, chief information officer at Alameda-Contra Costa County Transit, has a full agenda – and some developing vendor opportunities: "We are in the middle of ERP cloud hosting, big data analytics, and a couple of cybersecurity initiatives. In coming years, we will be looking for more cybersecurity projects, IT modernization, cloud expansion, data center integration, mobile app, big data, ML/AI platforms, etc."
Jason Piccione, chief information officer and deputy director of the Office of Information Services at the California Department of Consumer Affairs, discusses business modernizations in a time of reduced budgets, and positive changes to procurement.
Gary Renslo, chief information officer at the California Department of General Services, explains how his role has evolved with the department and discusses DGS' embrace of automation and e-signature among other initiatives; and its ongoing move to cloud.
Russ Nichols, chief information officer and director of Enterprise Information Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, discusses how the role of CIO at his department has transformed to that of a business leader, and looks at tech's potential for positive change within the agency.
Rico Rubiono, chief information officer for the California Department of Motor Vehicles and deputy director of its Information Services Division, discusses the department's ongoing tech modernization, how his role has changed, his favorite projects and how procurement might be improved.
Al Wanger, chief information officer at the California Coastal Commission, discusses his role, going digital at an agency that leaned heavily on paper, and a key systems integration project.
Michael Berman, chief information officer for the California State University system, explains how his role as a system CIO differs from that of CIO at one of 23 CSU campuses, and discusses how officials plan to evaluate potential strategies for an IT services consolidation.
Jay Song, chief information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, talks about his role at CAL FIRE, the opportunities and challenges of technology today and an important project implementation getting underway.
Quentin Wright, chief information officer and chief technology officer for the California Department of Technology, talks about his role at CDT, an RFP to watch out for, and his more than 20-year career with the state.
Jennifer Benson, deputy director and chief information officer at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, discusses the department's ongoing modernization and how the COVID-19 pandemic offers IT an opportunity to change the conversation.
As part of its ongoing quest to more closely connect readers in gov tech and the technology industry, Techwire heard from Patrick Dennis, chief information officer at the California Department of Parks and Recreation, on his role; the rise of "Statewide Broadband as a Service"; and reaching visitors where they are.
As part of its ongoing quest to more closely connect readers in gov tech and the technology industry, Techwire heard from Sumi Smith, chief information officer and chief information security officer for the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
As part of its ongoing quest to more closely connect readers in gov tech and the technology industry, Techwire heard from Bill Glaholt, chief information officer at the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), on how his agency's IT shop is structured; on his role; and about CHRB's modernization.
As part of its ongoing quest to more closely connect readers in gov tech and the technology industry, Techwire heard from Jennifer Chan, agency information officer at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on how her agency's IT shop is structured; on her role; and about ongoing CDFA initiatives.
