History of the State CIO

On July 1, 2002, the statutes establishing the Department of Information Technology ("DOIT") sunsetted. As a result, decision-making processes in the Executive Branch for enterprise information technology issues fell to a handful of other agencies exercising discretion pursuant to existing delegations of authority. Decisions about information technology policy, project initiation, project oversight and security policy fell to the Department of Finance, largely on the basis of analytic work performed by what is now known as the Office of Technology Review, Oversight and Security (OTROS). Information technology procurement policy and implementation became the responsibility of the Department of General Services.

Although DOIT sunsetted and its entire staff dissipated, the position of State CIO was retained. The State CIO Clark Kelso was charged with providing leadership on information technology policy and for working collaboratively with other information technology leaders throughout State government. Over time, a collaborative governance process evolved that draws upon IT leaders from all across government in setting overall IT strategy and policy. There are three major governance bodies with distinctly different enterprise roles and responsibilities:

• The Information Technology Council (IT Council) advises the State CIO on overall IT planning and policy, primarily from a technology perspective;
• The Technology Services Board (TSB) governs the Department of Technology Services and sets policy on enterprise services provided by the Department of Technology Services; and,
• The Enterprise Leadership Council (ELC) provides a forum for Executive Branch agencies to discuss and resolve business issues related to enterprise-wide IT from a business perspective.

The Office of the State Chief Information Officer (OCIO) was authorized by Senate Bill 834 (Statutes of 2006) or Government Code § 11545. The Code provides for the establishment of the office of the State Chief Information Officer, appointed by, and who serves at the pleasure of, the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation; and shall be a member of the Governor's cabinet. SB 834 establishes the duties of the State Chief Information Officer as summarized below:

• Advise the Governor on the strategic management and direction of the State's information technology resources.
• Minimize overlap, redundancy, and cost in state operations by promoting the efficient and effective use of information technology.
• Coordinate activities of Agency Information Officers, agency Chief Information Officers, and the Director of the Department of Technology Services for purposes of integrating statewide technology initiatives, ensuring compliance with information technology policies and standards, and promoting alignment of information technology resources and effective management of information technology portfolios.
• Work to improve organizational maturity and capacity in the effective management of information technology.
• Establish performance management and improvement processes to ensure State information technology systems and services are efficient and effective.

In August 2007 the Legislature appropriated funds to establish the Office of the State Chief Information Officer as the first cabinet-level agency with statutory authority over strategic vision and planning, enterprise architecture, IT policy, and project approval and oversight (see SB 90, Statutes of 2007 (PDF, 106 KB)). This legislation and Senate Bill 834 (Statutes of 2006) or Government Code § 11545 redefined the role and responsibilities of the State CIO.