Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced that Tracy Barnes will step down as the state’s chief information officer effective Jan. 10.
“Tracy has truly taken our state technology infrastructure efforts to the Next Level and brought solutions to growing cybersecurity issues at all levels of government,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Within weeks of being named to the position, he and his staff implemented steps nearly overnight to keep the state of Indiana operating during the pandemic as well as developing long-term policy critical to state government operational security.”
Barnes has served as CIO since March 2020. In a press release, the governor’s office highlighted several accomplishments during his tenure as CIO and director of the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT):
- Implemented cybersecurity protections for state employees and agencies, as well as working directly with local governments to assist them with cybersecurity training and preparedness;
- Created the first agency earn-and-learn program to reskill Indiana residents into technology careers;
- Delivered on a multi-cloud strategy to diversify cloud consumption and oversight capabilities;
- Earned top national recognition for data governance and transparency efforts;
- Became a leader in digital government efficiency and innovation, including being the first state to launch a full-site, generative artificial intelligence chatbot to cover information available on the state’s website;
- Increased the number of services available to residents through Access Indiana, the state’s single sign-on to simplify citizen engagement; and
- Led development of a centralized public records access portal to reach state agencies
Previously, Barnes served as chief of staff for the Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. In that role, he helped with the creation of the Indiana Broadband Office to support the expansion of broadband connectivity services across the state, primarily in rural areas.
