Features Government

While Shane Simmons knew the demand for cybersecurity analysts  was high, he didn’t predict how many people would be interested in the career path. Earlier this year, 86 people applied for 10 spots in an internship program that he created with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.  Simmons, the organization’s chief information office […]

It’s safe to say very few tech leaders have worked in PR at a Pakistani hospital that treated victims of leprosy. But Feroz Merchhiya says it was an invaluable experience in his professional development—and a humbling one at that. “My journey is not a typical journey for someone who ended up in technology,” says Feroz […]

He’s in an advantageous position, albeit one where the rewards might be on hold for just a little while longer. In 2019 Pete Mauro sold his technology consultancy to private equity, which in turn sold last December to a public company. As part of the original deal, Mauro had a non-compete clause which ends in […]

Within the broader scope of the country’s government operations, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC, is a relatively small agency staffed by between 500 and 600 people.  Its mandate is much larger, however. According to Rachel Porteous, the Centre’s chief information officer, one of its most pressing responsibilities involves a […]

There’s a level of excitement and satisfaction to Rob Brown’s work with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that other technology professionals may rarely enjoy. “We’re helping people achieve the American dream,” he says. “We’re helping refugees and asylees looking to start their new life in the United States.” And there are many desperate and deserving […]

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, employees at Municipal Property Assessment Corporation were able to transition to remote work in only a few hours. While other companies using the cloud had similar experiences, this wouldn’t have been possible for MPAC five years ago, says Sujit Jagdev. The organization’s chief information and technology officer, […]

When Devin Townsend joined the Nebraska Department of Transportation as a highway project construction inspector in May 2008, he didn’t envision eventually managing the department’s IT. Townsend was a civil engineer fresh out of the University of Nebraska where he’d earned his bachelor’s degree in transportation and highway engineering. He’d also served as a graduate […]

Brandie Reynolds has learned a couple of things about the judicial system as deputy chief information officer for the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County. First, court proceedings take much more coordination than what anyone sees. Second, connecting all the participants is complex work. Reynolds, whose 20-year career in tech includes working in health […]

After more than 20 years in IT, Nicollette Wands knows where her skills lie and where she’s eager to apply them with new opportunities in 2022. Most recently a CIO for the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, or DoIT (she left in November 2021), Wands says the curiosity, creativity, resourcefulness and agility she’s applied […]

It’s Dec. 31 and the clock just struck midnight, ringing in the new year—and the opening of State of Alaska’s online form to purchase a state fish and game license. Since 2011, except for 2019 and the pandemic, Alaska has annually issued well over 800,000 licenses to residents, non-residents, professionals and commercial crews. The thousands […]