In Arkansas, state Chief Technology Officer Yessica Jones is spearheading a statewide data center consolidation effort with a unique cross state strategy between her state and Oklahoma. Her main goal is to centralize IT infrastructure into one of our data centers and utilize a collocation plan. She described this in more detail to host John Thomas Flynn on Ask the CIO: SLED Edition, and also discussed how a government reorganization last year reduced the cabinet to 15 departments, making Jones’ department the Division of Information Services reporting to the Department of Transformation and Shared Services.

North Dakota's state chief information officer is used to unconventional work environments. Shawn Riley, who is also the cabinet secretary of the state's Information Services Division, was appointed by Gov. Doug Burgum in 2017 — a man who was thrown out of the state senate for wearing jeans. But Riley is not altogether different, and that's why he said he thinks he was the right fit to lead North Dakota's technology office despite a lack of prior government experience. He joined host John Thomas Flynn on Ask the CIO: SLED Edition to talk about his background, the state of North Dakota's IT spending and what that means for their cybersecurity.

Former Baltimore mayor and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is arguably one of the foremost proponents of using data analytics to measure government performance. That’s quite evident from his new book, “Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age," which he discussed at our Federal News Network studios last week. He brought the New York City Police Department's revolutionary performance measurement program CompStat to Baltimore, then later to the state capital in Annapolis. Speaking to Ask the CIO: SLED Edition host John Thomas Flynn, O'Malley argued for better data metrics in gauging government performance.

Given the significant priority that security has attained among chief information officers in all sectors, it is not surprising that several new state CIO appointees have extensive security backgrounds. West Virginia’s Joshua Spence confirmed this. He was a chief information security officer before becoming state chief technology officer — a job which has the duties of a CIO but with a different title. Spence has also spent two decades with the West Virginia Air National Guard. He joined Ask the CIO: SLED Edition to discuss his goals with John Thomas Flynn.

Ever wonder just how much of your personal information is being collected online by search and social media titans such as Google and Facebook? Laurel Rosenhall, a former The Sacramento Bee reporter, decided to explore the issue and the new California legislation aimed to regulate it. She published her recent article in CalMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news site covering state government and politics where she now works. Ask the CIO: SLED Edition was able to chat with her this week to learn more.

Getting to share common challenges and solutions among industry peers is not a privilege afforded to everyone in IT. But Texas state Chief Information Officer Todd Kimbriel said it's especially valuable to the public sector. Speaking to Ask the CIO: SLED Edition, Kimbriel said his favorite session from this year's NASCIO annual fall conference in Nashville in October, was the “open mic.” Host john Thomas Flynn also spoke to Ed Toner, Nebraska state CIO, about the opportunity that NASCIO provides to reconnect with vendors, especially their leadership. Toner also shared his advice to vendors that want to become that trusted IT adviser in Nebraska.

To mark the National Association of State Chief Information Officers's 50th anniversary, Ask the CIO: SLED Edition went to the annual conference in Nashville and spoke to Tennessee state Chief Information Officer Stephanie Dedmon. She said her state is trying to become cloud smart. Host John Thomas Flynn also caught up with former Government Accountability Office official Dave Powner, now director of strategic engagement and partnerships at the MITRE Corporation. His organization working on how to implement the taxonomy business model at federal agencies.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) celebrated its 50th anniversary recently at its fall conference in Nashville, TN. Ask the CIO: SLED Edition was on the scene for the festivities, and spoke to Doug Robinson, the organization’s executive director for the past 16 years. Host John Thomas Flynn also interviewed North Carolina CIO Eric Boyette, the new NASCIO president, on this week's show.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) celebrated its 50th anniversary recently at its fall conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Federal News Network’s Ask the CIO: SLED Edition was on the scene for the festivities, and host john Thomas Flynn marked his quarter century association with the organization. This week he spoke to Massachusetts state CIO Curt Wood and Virginia state CIO Nelson Moe.

Dewand Neely, Inidiana's CIO appointed by then Governor Mike Pence discusses his road to the position, his organization's expanding role with non-traditional constitutional officers, his security maturity/assessment model and his proudest accomplishments.