CDT's Paterson Set to Retire: 'A Harley Calling My Name'

Scott Paterson is a senior executive in the state’s IT governance system who’s retiring next month after 33 years — the first 13 of which were spent “behind bars” at Folsom.

“There was a news story on TV,” Paterson said in his office last week at the California Department of Technology's (CDT) Rancho Cordova complex. “Guards are making more than the governor. I thought, ‘I could go for that.’ I got in. … My niche as a guard was finding weapons.”

Paterson — who’s not a flashy headline-grabber, but who’s known for being quick with a quip — noted the irony that his career began in the prison system and is wrapping up on a high note: the part he played in getting state’s cannabis licensing system up and running.

Soon, the 55-year-old Paterson plans to hit the road on his Harley for Santa Cruz and other coastal locales. But first, he has to pass the baton. He’s the deputy director of the Office of Professional Development, part of CDT, where his previous roles have included deputy directorships and senior advisory roles.

His successor is Brenda Bridges Cruz, and the two will have a few weeks of working together on the transition before he takes off and she takes over. Bridges Cruz is currently deputy director and deputy chief information officer for Covered California.

“Brenda’s ready,” Paterson said, “and she’ll hit the ground running.” She begins June 26, and his last day is July 25.

It was while working at Folsom that Paterson got involved with IT. He’d never been passionate about technology, but he saw the coming opportunities in the field.

“While I was in Folsom, I was taking advantage of any community college I could hit so I could strengthen my skills,” he said. “I came in [to what’s now the Department of Health Care Services] as an associate information systems analyst. In a year, I had already been promoted to acting DPM1, then just went through the ranks of DPMs … then moved to the OCIO [state Office of the Chief Information Officer] in 2008 under [former state CIOs] Teri Takai and Christy Quinlan.

“I was involved in all sorts of interesting projects back then, as well," Paterson continued. "This is my sixth administration — I started with Deukmejian." 

After 33 years in state government, is there anything Paterson wants to get off his chest?

“It bothers me when you hear people say, ‘Oh, just a state worker,’ because they don’t realize the dedication, the sacrifices that are made. All they think is the holidays, the pay, the pension. But it’s 24/7 — I don’t care what position you’re in. But the higher you get, definitely it is. It’s a lot of work, but there’s a passion to it.

“It’s serving the public. You’re a public servant. I like that term better than I like ‘state worker.’ We work for the governor; we work for the state as a whole; we work for Californians.”

Having worked for six governors, Paterson has an optimistic outlook for the tenure of Gavin Newsom, who’s known as the “tech governor” and who’s already made some moves to shake up state IT procurement and governance.

“The new administration has some great ideas,” Paterson said. “I think they’re wonderful. I hope we can move that ball forward. But things do take time. It’s a diverse state, and departments are huge.

“With the way that IT is constantly changing, you have to change with IT as well, but at the same time, you can’t just throw away certain things. As IT moves forward, mainframe and legacy systems aren’t just going away. They’re very powerful. They’ve got a definite niche. They still support certain things that hold up the state as a whole — our payroll, our DMV, our EDD, health care. … Those don’t go away, but you’ve got to stay current.

“You don’t want to be on the bleeding edge, but you’ve got to be on the cutting edge. You don’t want to get too far ahead; you want to make sure it’s tried, tested and true – and yet you’ve got make sure it’s secure, too. Working for the public, what you don’t want to do is blow the public trust.”

Paterson said he feels fulfilled.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “If I can sneak out of this role with no fanfare or anything, that’s fine with me, because in two weeks, they won’t remember me anyway,” he said with a laugh.

“In my time with this department, that has been one of my goals and one of the things they put me here to do: To get things done. It’s been interesting just to see how things have matured and what we got done.”

CDT has had some high-profile departures in the last couple of months. Chris Cruz, the former state deputy CIO and CDT’s chief deputy director, and Bridges Cruz’s husband, has taken the CIO position in San Joaquin County. Peter Liebert, the state’s chief information security officer, has decided to leave the state and perhaps rejoin the private sector. And now, Paterson.

“We’re at a good breaking point,” said Paterson, whose role includes overseeing CDT’s various academies. “The reason that I picked my last day as July 25 is the graduation for the Digital Services Information Academy. That’ll be my last day; I wanted to see it through.

“I’ve got a Harley calling my name,” he said. “I’m going to kick back, relax for a while, then get on the Harley and get to some beaches. And then we’ll see.”