Kelly, who’s been featured in Techwire as well as Government Technology, began his new role as CGI’s director of Consulting Services just over a month ago. He’s still based in Sacramento.
“This is the beginning of Week 5,” Kelly told Techwire in an interview Monday.
Through his career, Kelly has worked in both the public and private sectors, most recently with OSI, where he had the dual role of chief deputy director and CIO. After leaving OSI, he took some time off to travel, write and consult. In figuring out where he wanted to go next, he talked with numerous IT-related firms. He said he chose CGI because of his own experience with the company and because of what he described as its reputation for customer satisfaction, whether that customer was in the public sector or in private industry.
Now that's he's back in the trenches, his role with CGI will be an extension of his work in government, he said.
“What’s near and dear to my own heart within the government ecosystem is testing technology in near-real-time and … implementing business and technology policy. If we’re only looking at 10-year plans, we miss opportunities to work with policy leaders and businesses within government. How do we prototype tech innovation for all … in the delivery of public benefits, transportation?”
CGI is a heavy hitter in state government contracting, so it's natural that Kelly will be based in Sacramento, and his playing field is the greater metro area. His mission, he said, is "How do we take the Sacramento ecosystem of tech and fill in the gaps? CGI is looking within Sacramento and the broader metro area for 'How do we find people and bring them into the fold?'"
One way is through outreach. He's working with Sierra College, Hacker Lab, Code for Hood as well as other organizations for "a pipeline of talent — nontraditional talent."
Practically speaking, that means "innovation and marketing outreach have to go hand-in-hand. I’ve been having conversations ... at the national level. At the local level, we’re talking about building an innovation lab virtually — how to create the tools and the ability to engage with others."
Kelly sees his most recent stint with OSI as a prelude to his new focus: "I'll be continuing Health and Human Services work — exploring new procurement models, developing new and different skill sets to work with the state … help the state learn from some lessons. … How do we adjust and move forward together?"
While in state government, Kelly had a high profile within the state gov tech community — and he plans to continue some of his out-of-the-office activities: "I’ll continue to do blog writing, speaking engagements, and also working with CGI customers — all of that." Kelly has also written commentaries for Techwire and been featured in video interviews.
He said he'll also remain a resource for those seeking guidance, insights and opportunities.
"I’m certainly happy for anyone that would like to reach out to contact me," he said. "I’m available to help anyone with any of the lessons we’ve learned over the last four years — customers or not. It’s our goal to raise all boats. Through education and knowledge-sharing, we’re committed to doing that.
"We’re taking the knowledge that we’ve gained and putting it into the public ecosystem. My passion has always been delivering health and human services to California constituents, and I hope that over time, that will remain my primary focus."
