Washington CIO Michael Cockrill is moving to the private sector later this month. After being appointed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in 2013, Cockrill oversaw the creation of Washington Technology Solutions, the agency created in 2015 to centralize state IT and improve services for the people of Washington through technology. Cockrill spoke with MeriTalk State and Local about his time as CIO and the jump to rejoin the private sector.

This hurricane season has already been one of the most destructive on record. Verizon is stepping up its efforts to support public safety and relief efforts in storm-battered states. Most importantly, the company is focused on repairing damaged communications networks and infrastructure to help governments focus on other restoration efforts.

With school starting up, the Mississippi Community College Board needed to tackle a system that was slowing down the class registration process. At the start of the school year, MCCB announced that it had adopted a FlashStack solution, a joint offering from Cisco Systems and Pure Storage, to host its most critical enrollment applications. With the new FlaskStack solution, the IT team now has access to the latest in computing and networking, combined into a single, integrated architecture.

The National Association of State CIOs recognized excellence in state technology at all levels at the recently wrapped NASCIO 2017 annual conference. Four awards were announced: the State Technology Innovator Awards, the 2017 NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards, the Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship, and the Corporate Longevity Awards.

Frequently when people have to interact with their state government, they aren’t in the mood to be delighted. Michele Hovet, director of innovation, KSM Consulting, knows that. But, she thinks technology can help change the status quo.

The NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference is sharing best practices, key lessons, and useful strategies for state and local government technology leaders. Sara Marshall, an industry adviser to state and local government for SAP, discusses servant leaders, those who put the needs of others first to empower their team.

The NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference is sharing best practices, key lessons, and useful strategies for state and local government technology leaders. James Collins, Delaware CIO, shares how other states can not only improve diversity in hiring, but also in retention.

The Federal Communications Commission announced that states that want to opt out of the FirstNet radio access network for first responders must do so by Dec. 28. Opt-out notices must be sent by the governors of the states or territories to FirstNet and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference is sharing best practices, key lessons, and useful strategies for state and local government technology leaders. For those unable to attend the conference, MeriTalk State & Local is sharing key lessons, in a bite-size format, from the conference. First up: How to tackle IT consolidation.

State CIOs and technology industry leaders will gather in Austin next week for the NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. State CIOs and other government officials will be able to exchange best practices, network, and learn about the latest technology that improves state services and citizen satisfaction.