Jason Piccione is chief information officer and deputy director of the Office of Information Services at the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). He was appointed in November 2015; and, as CIO, sets the direction for department IT and coordinating infrastructure and service delivery across the agency, according to DCA. Before becoming CIO, Piccione was DCA’s chief technology officer for about two years, but his state career spans more than 15 years. Among his previous initiatives, the CIO told Techwire in 2018, were work on an IT system for the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Education in 2000; and the implementation of a statewide examination administration system for the Contractors State License Board that’s used by all contractors taking exams. Other notable projects have included a new DCA data portal and work on DCA’s licensing and enforcement system, BreEZe. Piccione holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis.
Techwire: As CIO of your organization, how do you describe your role; and how have the role and responsibilities of the CIO changed in recent years?
Piccione: I describe the primary role of the CIO as an executive strategic partner to the business and other support verticals. The role of technology in the overall success of business cannot be overestimated and therefore, the effectiveness of the CIO is key. Acute support and stability, modernization delivery and long-term vision are key to driving the organization forward. The role seems to have shifted in some organizations, including DCA, from a buried resource within the admin branch, to its own executive-level contributor and team member.
Techwire: How big a role do you personally play in writing your organization’s strategic plan?
Piccione: The department’s current strategic plan was written by the executive team made of the director, chief deputy director and the deputy directors. I am a deputy director/CIO.
Techwire: What big initiatives or projects are coming in 2020? What sorts of RFPs should we be watching for in the next six to 12 months?
Piccione: The primary focus of our tech initiatives has been business modernization for the 16 boards/bureaus that did not adopt the BreEZe platform. The state’s budget will determine how aggressively these initiatives come to market. Smaller-scoped efforts may dominate with continued telework adoption and the required security.
Techwire: How do you define “digital transformation,” and how far along is your organization in that process? How will you know when it’s finished?
Piccione: Digital transformation is the iterative cycle of business process analysis, improvement and overlay of technical solutions. What do we do? How can we do it better? Is there a platform or gear that can improve the process? I would label our department as “Adopted.” The very first step in this transformation is the cultural adoption of the need for transformation at the organizational level and the acknowledgement that the line-of-business is the appropriate driver. DCA has adopted this culture. By definition, the process does not end.
Techwire: What is your estimated IT budget and how many employees do you have? What is the overall budget?
Piccione: This fiscal year, the IT budget is approximately $34.2 million and authorizes 151.5 staff.
Techwire: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors, including via social media such as LinkedIn? How might vendors best educate themselves before meeting with you?
Piccione: I don’t mind when vendors cold email as long as they don’t mind if I don’t get back to them right away. The best way a vendor can help me is to know how I can purchase their product. A non-ideal scenario is when I love a product but it’s not on any leveraged procurement vehicle or there is no established partner channel. If you want to sell me something, please make sure you know how I can buy it from you.
Techwire: In your tenure in this position, which project or achievement are you most proud of?
Piccione: I am not sure that I can choose just one, so I am most proud of our successful development of the platform for the legalized cannabis market in 2018, our innovative DCA Search in 2018, our Open Data Portal in 2019 and the establishment of our iServices layer (an expanded set of APIs that federate and expose disparate system data including mainframe).
Techwire: If you could change one thing about IT procurement, what would it be?
Piccione: I like the changes that have occurred recently with initiatives by the Governor’s Office and [the California Department of Technology] CDT to allow a more collaborative process for large-scale procurements. Expanded communication within a structured competitive process allows for better outcomes and more positive returns on investment.
Techwire: What do you read to stay abreast of developments in the gov tech/SLED sector?
Piccione: Techwire, of course.
Techwire: What are your hobbies, and what do you enjoy reading?
Piccione: My extra time is primarily occupied by activities with my children. Volleyball with my daughter and fishing with my son. I like reading true crime.
Editor’s note: this interview has been lightly edited for style and brevity.
