Michael Cockrill became CIO of Washington state in 2013. Since then he has worked to streamline the state’s IT organization, help lawmakers understand the technological impact of their public policy decisions, and secure Washington well into the future. In an interview with 21st Century State & Local, Cockrill discussed his role, past achievements, and how Washington’s IT office is becoming more millennial-friendly.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed an executive order that seeks to consolidate the state’s IT staff and operations.
AT&T was awarded a $6.5 billion contract to build and operate the nationwide network FirstNet. However, the legislation that authorizes FirstNet also authorizes a state to develop its own alternative on the spectrum carved out for the network, as long as the alternative is interoperable with the FirstNet core.
In an effort to improve efficiency and lower barriers to entry, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard recently launched the nation’s first paperless pardon process. Individuals seeking clemency can now use an online portal to fill out the necessary forms.
Three years ago the state of Illinois ranked in the last quartile of states when it came to using IT efficiently. After two years on the job Hardik Bhatt, the state’s CIO, has transformed Illinois.
Danielle Alvarez has served as Florida’s CISO for more than two years, but on June 1, 2017, she will serve her last day in the Agency for State Technology. Before stepping down, Alvarez spoke with 21st Century State & Local about her work within the state and her hopes for her replacement.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker recently announced a $5 million matching grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to will help support the launch of a new health care research initiative called PracticePoint at WPI.
To help prepare the public for wildfires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released a new app called “Ready for Wildfire.”
Connected Nation, an organization committed to bringing affordable Internet to Americans, announced that Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa won the Connected Nation Broadband Visionary Award.
The Consumer Technology Association released the 2017 Innovation Scorecard, ranking states in four categories: Innovative Champion, Innovative Leader, Innovative Adopter, and Modest Innovator.
