Q&As With IT Leaders
“Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. We are navigating another technology transformation, requiring us to move past some of our previous practices and integrate and support technology as a cross-functional business process,” says Steve Grogan, chief information officer and chief of the Office of Information Services at the state of California Air Resources Board.
“When we consider that compute translates to data transformation and exchange and better insights to make decisions — information technologies are the fundamental enablers of our present and future, and the end of growth is still not in sight,” says Imre Kabai, chief information officer for Santa Clara County.
“We are focused on being a true business partner; we have to work side by side with our executives and peers if we’re going to move business forward. Because it’s all about moving the business forward and changing the program with technology,” says Catherine Lanzaro, CIO and deputy director of the Technology Services Division for the California Department of Child Support Services.
“I am results-focused, have higher than average expectations, and will work with anyone that is putting in the effort,” says Ventura County CIO Terry Theobald. “I believe in accountability in the sense those I work with and I are both accountable.”
“In IT, we understand the critical nature of our role to provide solutions for the problems that the business is trying to solve. Without truly understanding those problems and partnering with business to create the solutions, success is more difficult to achieve. The pandemic has really highlighted the importance of that partnership,” says Heather L. Pettit, chief information officer for the Judicial Council of California.
“I think from a transformational standpoint, the role of the CIO in probably any organization, but especially in government, is to find the right balance between maintaining the status quo and not chasing every new shiny object that comes along ... but at the same time, be very aware of how things are changing,” says Jon Walton, chief information officer for San Mateo County.
“STO is in the very early stage of digital transformation as many of our business processes are still paper-based. … Like many organizations during this time, we are all working in a very fluid environment that requires us to pivot quickly to meet the demand of the situation,” says David Duarte, chief information officer at the State Treasurer’s Office.
“I will be continuing a CHHS cybersecurity strategic assessment of all CHHS departments with a focus on moving towards a more coordinated/aligned approach across all CHHS departments and offices,” says Lloyd Indig, agency information security officer at the California Health and Human Services Agency.
“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.
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