Award-winning technology official Chris Cruz’s last day as California’s deputy chief information officer was Friday, and he started work on Monday as CIO at San Joaquin County. An official at that agency told Techwire the jurisdiction, immediately south of Sacramento County, is “thrilled” to welcome him aboard.
San Joaquin’s board of supervisors and county administration are “well-known for their innovation and creative thinking,” and had sought the same in filling the CIO position, said Assistant County Administrator Jerry Becker, the agency’s former CIO of 12 years. Becker’s elevation in October touched off San Joaquin’s job search for its next CIO, leading to Cruz’s eventual selection in February.
“Mr. Cruz clearly has that passion for innovation, as well as a tremendous breadth of experience and talent that will be a great benefit to our organization. Mr. Cruz has a demonstrated record of success and I am confident he will do great things as the CIO here in San Joaquin County,” Becker said via email, pronouncing his arrival “an outstanding addition.”
Cruz, whose time in government and business spans 27 years, has been frequently recognized for his work. In October, he was of three state IT officials to receive the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) State Technology Innovator Award. The award honors “outstanding individuals who have made contributions to advance state technology policy through the promotion of best practices, adoption of new technologies and advancements in service delivery.” In 2015, Cruz was named one of Government Technology* magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.
In an interview last month, Cruz told Techwire the position in San Joaquin County was too good to pass up. "The people and environment in San Joaquin County impressed me," he said at the time, indicating he was excited to be joining the agency and continuing its successes in “innovation, technology and security.” San Joaquin County’s public-sector laurels include receiving CIO magazine’s CIO 100 Award and being named a Top Ten County in the Center for Digital Government’s* annual Digital Counties Survey; and also receiving its "Best of California" Project Excellence Award.
California’s CIO and deputy CIO positions are appointed by the governor, and no decision has been announced about who will succeed Cruz in offering policy guidance to nearly 140 Executive Branch state CIOs.
In an email, Brian Ferguson, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s deputy director of media and public affairs, said the job search is ongoing.
“As is the case with all appointed positions, our office is seeking the best most qualified candidate to serve the people of California. When a decision is reached on an appointment the person would be formally announced via news release from our office,” Ferguson said. For now, the California Department of Technology still lists Cruz as chief deputy director and deputy state CIO on its website.
*The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic, the parent company of Techwire, and of Government Technology and Governing magazines.
