2. Data Leadership

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.

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.

OIT’s Government Data Advisory Board (GDAB), created by a 2009 law, advises the Chief Data Officer on activities necessary to develop the interdepartmental data protocol, made up of members from all state agencies. The board works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state government and policymaking by providing guidance and recommendations on how the state should manage data management systems. GDAB produces an annual report discussing the progress made over the past year and key recommendations for the following year. In 2022, GDAB created a data governance subcommittee, which meets bimonthly to advance the mission of the GDAB.

A 2018 Connecticut law formalized the position of Chief Data Officer (CDO) within the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and created the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board. The law required each state agency to designate an agency data officer to manage high-value data sets and coordinate data-related activities with the state CDO. The CDO, along with individual agency data officers, is required to biannually update the state data plan, which covers open data and creates data standards for agencies.

The Office of Policy and Management Data and Policy Analytics division serves as a resource for data analysis and data-related projects and is responsible for the development and implementation of the State Data Plan, the State’s Open Data Portal, and P20 WIN, the state’s integrated data system, development of the state GIS Office, and establishment of the research and evaluation functions and policies for agencies.

Delaware has a Director of Enterprise Data, housed at the Department of Technology and Information (DTI). This role oversees a team that leads statewide data management, data modeling, data analysis, data integration, business intelligence, open data, and GIS-related work. There is a Delaware Open Data Council that includes members from all Executive Branch agencies to promote data sharing.

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.

The Office of the Indiana Chief Data Officer (OCDO) is a statutorily required position that sets data policy for all executive branch state agencies. The Management Performance Hub (MPH) enables government, industry and community-based organizations to deliver the value of data products and services while maintaining the optimum level of data security, privacy and governance. The Data Governance Council functions as a decision-making body representative of all participating stakeholders and is responsible for both promoting a common vision across the State, and for ensuring compliance with Indiana’s data guidelines and practices.

KYSTATS is the data center for the state, and the Executive Director has similar authority as a Chief Data Officer. KYSTATS’ board of directors represents five different state agencies and serves as the data team for building a research agenda that directs the research work for KYSTATS.

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.

Maryland’s State Chief Data Officer (CDO), organized under the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), oversees the state’s enterprise information management, business intelligence, and geographic information systems offices. The CDO also oversees an enterprise data management office within DoIT that offers state agencies shared services to support adoption of best practices in data management and business intelligence, and includes a leading geographic information systems team.

Agency data officers, together with the CDO, form the state’s Chief Data Officers Council (CDO Council). In 2022, the CDO Council published a statewide Data Governance Framework that agencies then tailored to their specific needs.

The Maryland Council on Open Data, created by the Open Data Act of 2014, has 37 members. The Council Chair is the Secretary of Information Technology, delegated to the CDO, and Maryland’s Chief Performance Officer serves as Vice Chair. Council members include Cabinet Secretaries, local government representatives, and public members. Council meetings are open to the public. There is also an open data governance workgroup.

The State of Michigan has a Chief Data Officer that was established through EO 2016-24.

The Statewide Chief Data Stewards Committee & Data Analytics Committee were also established through EO 2016-24 and further expanded through EO 2022-11 with the addition of a Center for Data and Analytics.

There is a statewide data governance system established as part of the EO 2016-24. In addition, a Chief Data Stewards Committee was formed which includes Chief Data Stewards from each Department. There was also a Analytics Committee formed as well.

Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is the information technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch. MNIT is led by the state’s Chief Information Officer and employs over 2,600 employees. 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; 2) promoting benefits of cross-agency data sharing; and 3) focusing on results-oriented strategic data analytics to drive decision-making. Minnesota’s Data Practices Act guides use and protection of government data, with Responsible Authorities and Compliance Officials identified for all agencies. In 2023, new legislation (line 15.5) directed Minnesota Management and Budget, in partnership with Minnesota DOH and MNIT, to 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.

The State of Missouri is currently undergoing a digital government transformation. Having quality, secure, and governed data is key to being successful. Our Data Manager – Analytics along with our Enterprise Architecture team are working to implement a statewide data governance system. The team is focusing on several areas including Data Governance, Data Literacy, Cloud Data Lakes, Tableau data visualization, and AI technologies.

A few agencies have their own Chief Data Officer, our team is working with them to coordinate and unify our data governance operations across agencies. Data silos are a big problem with state agencies even within a single agency. Sharing data across agencies has been almost unheard of. Our team is breaking down those silos in an effort to better serve the citizens of the State of Missouri.

​​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) oversees the North Carolina Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), the centralized data office for the state. GDAC facilitates enterprise data management, supports data sharing between agencies, and provides analytic capabilities to leverage the state’s data assets and provide information for state leaders to make evidence-based decisions.

NCLDS’ data policies, data sharing processes, and strategic direction are overseen by a cross-agency governance board.

The NC Geographic Information Coordinating Council establishes standards, best practices, and policies for coordinating and advising the use of geospatial data statewide.

The State Data Center is a consortium of agencies cooperating to provide the public with access to census, demographic, and other state data at a variety of geographic levels. The public Log Into North Carolina (LINC) data platform aggregates the most sought-after data from contributing agencies.

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.

A 2017 Oregon law instituted a Chief Data Officer responsible for the state’s centralized data strategy, including an enterprise open data platform. The CDO 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 CDO 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.

Since July 2024, Rhode Island’s Chief Data & Analytics Officer has led the centralized Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Team within the Department of Administration. Currently, the Department is establishing a Data, Analytics, & Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence to promote effective data sharing, evidence-based policymaking, and responsible AI practices with an emphasis on ethics, security, and unbiased usage.

This team is working to strategically develop and manage Rhode Island’s Integrated Data System, creating a federated connection between the Rhode Island Longitudinal Data System (RILDS) in the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Data Ecosystem, and other state agency data sources.

RILDS maintains a formal statewide data governance system overseen by a board, which includes leaders from across state agencies responsible for setting data policies, ensuring data security, and prioritizing research needs statewide.

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 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. Utah has comprehensive data governance laws (Government Records Access and Management Act, Government Data Privacy Act) to codify baseline governance requirements related to data access, sharing, governance and privacy. Utah currently has a central authority in the form of a CIO, state archivist, Chief Records Officer and a Chief Privacy Officer that, in combination, are coordinating statewide efforts related to modernizing statewide data governance and management practices in addition to a modernization of GRAMA.

Utah has an established integrated data system and team named Utah Data Research Center which is a longitudinal data system that provides research findings that are summarized and made into visualizations for easier consumption, and is the primary source for Utah data for employment, education, and health.

Vermont’s Chief Data Officer, Josiah Raiche, leads the state’s integrated Data and AI team within the Agency of Digital Services. Under his leadership, Vermont has strengthened data governance, quality, and ethics, including launching the state’s first AI governance framework and enterprise metadata standards. He played a key role in creating ChatVT, a secure, internal AI assistant used by hundreds of state employees to improve content, analyze data, and increase efficiency, demonstrating practical, responsible innovation in government. Raiche also supports agency data stewards and collaborates across sectors to improve the quality and use of administrative data. His work ensures that Vermont’s public servants have the tools, standards, and oversight needed to make data-informed decisions. This leadership helps embed data as a strategic asset in service of better, more equitable outcomes for Vermonters.

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.