In a conversation with Techwire, Michael Wilkening, special adviser on Innovation and Digital Services in the Office of the Governor, discussed the Alpha project, the initiative to transform the state’s website, which is now past its midpoint. Wilkening also provided updates on hiring the state’s next chief data officer and the first-ever director of the Office of Digital Innovation, which was established last year after its proposal in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first state budget. Among the takeaways:
• The precise timeline on when either position might be filled remains unclear, but the state may be closer to picking its second chief data officer — replacing California’s inaugural CDO Zachary Townsend, who departed in 2017 to join Social X-Change at Stanford University. (He’s now an associate partner with McKinsey & Co.) Wilkening said the CDO hiring “will hopefully be relatively soon.” A spokesperson for the Government Operations Agency (GovOps) confirmed to Techwire in September the state would revive the CDO position, and the application process opened in early October.
• Wilkening declined to suggest any timing for the state’s hiring of its first-ever ODI director, but on Jan. 23 he said officials are considering what tech projects to undertake — “in the process of winnowing them down,” and may discuss within the next month what’s coming. Process changes may facilitate that.
“So before, we were taking a … more traditional (approach) — find the director, staff out the office, get the projects, start moving. Now … we’re picking projects; we’ve brought in a consultant who has experience from USDS (the U.S. Digital Service) who’s helping us with figuring out those projects, and that will help us staff up around the projects.” Wilkening indicated those projects may start as the director search continues.
• Newsom said ODI was “up and running” in response to a question from Techwire, when he introduced his Fiscal Year 2020-2021 proposed budget on Jan. 10. He described standing it up as “a little more challenging than it appears because it’s all about talent.” Wilkening agreed, saying, “... We’re looking for the right person for it, not just a person for it.” The state seeks an ODI director with government experience — but who “also has the ability to pull talent from Silicon Valley.” This candidate, he added, is “fairly unique, but not completely,” highlighting the presence of organizations like 18F and USDS, and state and local governments that are expanding their digital services profiles.
“So, we’re going through those and we’re looking for the right person, and that will then pull the talent in that we need to do these sorts of projects,” Wilkening said. “Because it’s a completely different way of operating.” The hiring process for the ODI director began in late May.
• The positions will be separate roles but both will “be reporting in to GovOps,” Wilkening said. They’ll be in august company; GovOps also encompasses the state Blockchain Working Group, CalData, Code California and the California Department of Technology.
