2. Data Leadership

Arizona’s Department of Administration has a State Data Management Architect who serves as the statewide Chief Data Officer and has led the Statewide Data Management Program (SDMP) since 2016. The Chief Data Officer leads data management at the Department of Administration, as well as the State Data Interoperability Council, which oversees data sharing between state agencies. As part of the Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology Office, the State Data Management Architect establishes data governance policies that address technology; security; privacy; and communication strategies, policies, and procedures.

The Chief Data Officer position, created by a 2017 law, leads the state’s efforts to improve data use, infrastructure, and security. In 2023 Arkansas named the state’s new Chief Data Officer (CDO). A 2019 Arkansas law created the Data-Sharing and Data-Driven Decision-Making Task Force “to implement a shared services model for statewide data sharing in order to drive innovation and facilitate efficiency across state agencies, improve the delivery of services, and to better serve the citizens of this state.” The CDO has led the development of the Arkansas data asset inventory system, Data and Transparency Panel, and cultivated statewide data culture and data literacy.

In 2022, California established the Office of Data and Innovation and bolstered the statewide data team (CalData), building on the previous appointment of the Chief Data Officer and work of the Office of Digital Innovation. The CDO and CalData are responsible for creating data strategies that improve programs statewide and lead to better outcomes, with a particular focus on connecting traditionally siloed data. The Chief Data Officer created CalData: California’s Data Strategy 2020 and supports the California Open Data Policy, and the California Open Data Portal. The CDO’s office has three lines of work with corresponding leadership positions in: data analytics and evaluation, data services and policy and programs. The team has authority over data governance and management statewide and as a key part of their work engages with state departments in communities of practice.

In addition, there are several Chief Data Officers and data leaders throughout the state at the agency or department-level including the:

• Director of the Center for Data Insights and Innovation and Chief Data Officer at the California Health & Human Services Agency. With the Office of Data and Innovation, they have supported efforts to build data capacity and leadership across the state, particularly through several collegiate recruiting events for data professionals
• Chief for Data Analytics and Strategy at the Department of Developmental Services;
• Geospatial Data Officer at the CalTrans, the Department of Transportation;
• Director of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System

The State of Colorado’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) includes a Chief Data Officer. The Chief Data Officer is responsible for developing and directing the state’s data strategy, data governance, and data management. The position establishes enterprise data policies, standards, and procedures to maximize the state’s investment in data management systems. The OIT’s statewide data management program leverages data and information as enterprise assets and establishes standards and processes to enable more agile solutions and government services. Additionally, OIT’s Government Data Advisory Board (GDAB), created by a 2009 law, advises the Chief Data Officer on activities and policies necessary to develop the interdepartmental data protocol, made up of members from state and local government. GDAB’s mission is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state government, citizen service delivery, and policymaking by providing guidance and recommendations on how the state should govern and manage data and data management systems.

In 2022, GDAB created a data governance subcommittee, which will define a statewide protocol for collecting, managing, storing, and linking personally identifying information (PII) and develop best practices for data management and data governance, including data lifecycle, reconciliation, and retention policies and procedures.

In June 2022, House Bill 1885 was enacted to establish a chief data officer and data task force within the office of enterprise technology services to develop, implement, and manage statewide data policies, procedures, and standards and to facilitate data sharing across state agencies.

A 2017 Indiana law (page 8) established the position of Chief Data Officer with the budget, staff, and authority to: (1) coordinate data analytics and data transparency for state agencies; (2) advise state agencies regarding best practices for data maintenance, security, and privacy; and (3) oversee the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH). MPH uses state data, such as the Education and Workforce Development database, to provide “analytics solutions tailored to address complex management and policy questions enabling improved outcomes.” MPH established a statewide Data Governance Council in 2021 that formalized a cross domain, interdisciplinary group to further the data-driven capacity of organizations and the State as a whole.

The state of Maine appointed Ken Boykin as its Chief Data Officer in 2022. This position is part of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services. The CDO is charged with developing the state’s data governance program to improve consistency, integrity, privacy, and availability of data.

A 2021 Executive Order established Maryland’s Chief Data Officer charged with developing new statewide data-governance strategies and leading a group of agency-level data leads. The CDO, along with the Chief Privacy Officer, operate in the governor’s office as a centralized function for statewide data activities, including oversight of use and management of data across a variety of state units and leveraging data to inform policy decisions through a statewide strategic data plan, among other roles and responsibilities.

The Executive Order also established agency data officers to support the stewardship and coordination of data in agencies across the state, agency data officers to convene on a monthly basis to share best practices, gather input and advice from experts and practitioners, report to the State Chief Data Officer, and support development and implementation of the State Data Strategic Plan. The Executive Order attenuates that the CDO shall work with various offices, including the Governor’s Office of Performance Improvement, for the purposes of improving operational efficiency and efficacy.

Within Maryland state agencies, there are several other governance councils to support data management activities at the agency and program level:

• The MD THINK Committee as a unit under the Governor’s Executive Council, known as the Governor’s Cabinet to sets policy, objectives, and priorities for, and governs the portfolio data, platform technology assets, and MD THINK enterprise.
• Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)’s Data Governance Council, responsible for advising and monitoring data initiatives across the business units within the agency.

Minnesota has a Chief Data and Evaluation Officer with the authority, staff, and budget to collect, analyze, share, and use data to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of public programs and inform policy decisions affecting them. The Minnesota Chief Evaluation Officer leads a team of analysts and research scientists who partner with state agencies to integrate useful information into strategic planning, budget formulation, and ongoing management.

Additionally, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is the information technology agency for Minnesota’s Executive Branch, and is led by the State’s Chief Information Officer. MNIT’s 2020 strategic plan outlines multiple goals and initiatives relating to data collection, management, and use, including an emphasis on elevating Minnesota’s Digital Estate through 1) improving collaboration and communication within and between state agencies to drive insight and value from data; 2) promoting benefits of cross-agency data sharing; and 3) focusing on results-oriented strategic data analytics to drive decision-making.

Performance data is frequently disaggregated to highlight differences across demographics and communities. As a result of legislation passed in 2023, Minnesota Management and Budget, in partnership with Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota IT, will facilitate a cross-agency effort to develop enterprise-wide standards for disaggregating data by race and ethnicity and other critical demographic characteristics. This will assist all agencies in better understanding differences among communities. Legislation relating to disaggregated data standards can be found here, beginning at 15.5.

The New Jersey Office of Information Technology (OIT) is responsible for the policies and standards governing State agencies’ use of technology, including data governance, which policies can be found online at its policy library. New Jersey’s Chief Data Officer, a position established within OIT in 2015 and codified into law in 2017, leads statewide data transparency initiatives and open data projects, such as the Open Data Center, Governor’s Transparency, Superstorm Sandy Transparency, and Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office Transparency Site for COVID spending websites. The CDO serves as the coordinator, architect, and content manager for New Jersey’s Open Data Portal. This role also establishes best practices, administrative rules, policies, standards, procedures, and bulletins as they relate to open data, enterprise information, and data management. The CDO follows the Strategic IT Governance 2.0 Model for Transparency websites.

The state’s Chief Data Officer (CDO) also serves as the Deputy State Chief Information Officer and oversees the North Carolina Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC). GDAC serves as the centralized data office for the state, facilitating enterprise data management, sharing, and analytic capabilities to transform data into information to support the State’s business decisions and processes. In this role, the Chief Data Officer leads efforts to support data sharing between state agencies, develop enterprise solutions, identify cost savings through fraud and compliance initiatives, and leverage the state’s data assets to provide information for state leaders to make evidence-based decisions. In addition to the Chief Data Officer, GDAC also has created leadership positions focused on data and analytics, including Director of Analytics and Executive Director of the NC Longitudinal Data Service. In addition to these positions, other agencies (e.g., NC Department of Health and Human Services and NC Department of Public Safety) have CDO positions and analytics teams and manage data portals.

As of 2021 the State of North Dakota developed the Chief Data Officer role through the States Information Technology department. The Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the State of North Dakota oversees data and analytics, application development, automation, and geospatial information systems.

In Ohio, the State Chief Data Officer (CDO) reports to the cabinet-level Director of the Department of Administrative Services and is responsible for managing the InnovateOhio Platform (IOP) Data Analytics program. This program is part of the Lieutenant Governor’s InnovateOhio initiative, which was established by Executive Order in 2019. IOP Data Analytics also includes the DataOhio Portal, which provides transparency and information to 300+ datasets representing 100+ State programs. To date, there have been more than 350,000 dataset views. The State CDO also serves as the Chair of the State CDO Council, which provides enterprise strategy and direction related to data governance, data management, and data analytics.

A 2017 Oregon law instituted a Chief Data Officer responsible for the state’s centralized data strategy, including an enterprise open data platform. The Chief Data Officer is charged with creating open data standards, providing privacy guidance for state agencies, identifying opportunities for data sharing, and designing stakeholder engagement strategies, including an advisory committee. In 2021, the program was funded to grow from six to twelve staff members and procured a geospatial data-sharing and management platform. The Chief Data Officer also released Oregon’s first data strategy in 2020 and data strategy website in February 2021. The state continues working toward the actions identified in the data strategy’s biennial action plan. Work includes listening sessions with a diverse range of organizations with the intent of seeking input on the Oregon Data Literacy Framework and implementation, additional resources to support open data and transparency within state agencies and hiring of critical roles related to data equity.

A 2017 executive order enhanced Pennsylvania’s enterprise approach to using data as a strategic asset by creating an open data program, establishing a statewide Chief Data Officer (CDO) and data advisory committee that includes data stewards, and encouraging the sharing and use of data. The CDO reports to the Deputy Secretary for Information Technology and State Chief Information Officer (CIO) in the Governor’s Office of Administration, and is charged with overseeing the use, management, and governance of data statewide. In 2021, the Chief Information Officer described the governance structures (Appendix E) related to shared services, including data management, in a 2021 testimony to the State Senate and its Communications and Technology Committee on state information technology legislation.

Additionally, in July 2021, the Commonwealth hired a Deputy General Counsel for Privacy, a chief privacy officer, within the Office of General Counsel to review relevant legislation and inform decisions regarding improving data laws, policies, and regulations. Two agency-level examples are: 1) the Office of Strategic Information Services within the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and 2) the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (CWIA), which enters into data-sharing agreements to share confidential data with numerous government entities.

In June 2023, Governor Dan McKee signed the Rhode Island Longitudinal Data System Act into law. Among the various components of the law, under Chapter 42-165, it requires the newly established Rhode Island Longitudinal Data System (RILDS) to publish a plan by November 2023 outlining the optimal approach to establishing a comprehensive statewide integrated data system, including the creation of the position of the state Chief Data Officer.

The South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (RFA) is authorized by recurring budget provision (103) and various statutes (§44-6-170) to collect and integrate data at the state level. The budget provision gives RFA the authority to maintain MOUs with the majority of state agencies and the authority to execute additional ones. Since 1975, the office has helped improve government efficiency, enhance outcomes for residents, and reduce disparities through the integration of data across policy domains and data sources, as well as agencies and departments. The agency has a staff of approximately 75, composed of analysts, statisticians, epidemiologists, database administrators, web developers, GIS analysts, economists, surveyors, and project and program managers.

The office of Strategic Technology Solutions (STS) partners closely with the Office of Evidence and Impact (OEI) to effectively manage and oversee the State of Tennessee’s data. Within STS, the director of the  Center for Enterprise Data Analytics leads statewide data strategy practices, with a goal of modernizing the data platforms and deploying a common data governance framework. Further, the CEDA director, in collaboration with the Office of Evidence and Impact and other executive agencies, fosters the creation of a data-driven culture, related competencies, and data literacy across the enterprise.

STS and the Office of Evidence and Impact partner to implement and oversee Tennessee’s efforts to utilize enterprise-wide data analytics, including the new Tennessee Data Analytics for Transparency and Accountability (TN DATA) platform. The CEDA Director oversees the technical implementation, while the OEI Director steers the strategic direction of the analytics initiative. The Data Governance and Operations Coordinator in OEI develops and oversees the governance of the integrated TN DATA system, in collaboration with the state agencies, while the TN DATA Leadership Committee—executive-level agency leadership including the governor’s office—steer the priorities for OEI to carry out. The Chief Evaluation Officer for OEI coordinates the work of the data team within OEI and the vendor to address those priorities through cross-functional, cross-agency analytics.

The Utah State Data Coordinator is the architect and content manager for the state’s open data portal and Spending.Utah.gov. A 2021 Utah law created the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) and the Personal Privacy Oversight Commission (PPOC) to oversee and govern data sharing, privacy, security, and technology across the state. The primary role and duties of the Chief Privacy Officer are to: assess privacy practices, recommend privacy practice changes, publish public privacy practice reports of each agency, and propose legislative changes related to privacy.

In 2023 Utah Governor Cox issued executive order 2023-06 which requires the CPO to create a strategic privacy plan for State of Utah executive agencies. This plan will include specific recommendations, guidance and strategies related to privacy governances, collection, sharing and use of data.  Executive order 2023-01 which established a task force on state agency collaboration and data sharing, chaired by the executive director of the Department of Health and Human Services. The task force will deliver an action plan by August 30, 2023 including specific steps to strengthen collaboration and expand information sharing across entities in order to research, evaluate, and improve service delivery for constituents.

A 2018 Virginia law established a Chief Data Officer role to coordinate data sharing among state, regional, and local entities. The Chief Data Officer coordinates the state’s data advisory committee and is responsible for data governance, including policies related to open data, data sharing, and data privacy. A 2021 law created the Office of Data Governance in the Office of the Secretary of Administration to lead the state’s general data governance. The Chief Data Officer continues to lead this work.

The State of Wyoming has a Chief Data Officer in the Enterprise Technology Services department. The state also has a Data Governance Council that works with the CDO on how the state should manage and govern the Executive branch’s data systems.