Colorado chooses new CIO
- By Dibya Sarkar
- Dec 19, 2000
Colorado Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology
Robert Feingold, chief information officer for Colorado's Department of
Natural Resources, will become the state's CIO in January.
Gov. Bill Owens appointed Feingold last week. He'll replace current
CIO Paul Quade, whose term ends March 1, 2001. Quade, who has been serving
since August 1999, is on extended loan from Galileo International, a global
distribution systems company for the travel industry, to which he will return.
As the state's CIO, Feingold, 58, will supervise information technology
initiatives developed by the Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology,
led by technology secretary Marc Holtzman.
"I certainly am pleased and humbled to be offered this position and
to do everything in my power to help Governor Owens and Marc Holtzman meet
their objectives," Feingold said in an interview.
He said his first priority will be to develop a state portal, which
would be launched in early 2001. "We see that not just as another pretty
Web site but one that would provide good government services," he said.
He said he will work with various departments to improve their programs
through available technology, including digital imaging and workflow management.
"I want to act as a conduit for information on what works and what doesn't
work and help those departments modernize those processes and better connect
to the citizenry and reduce costs," he said.
As the CIO for the state's Department of Natural Resources for most
of the past year, Feingold said he helped launch an online campground reservation
system, had a hand in an ongoing study to improve hunting and fishing licensing
procedures, and participated in an imaging project program with several
divisions.
One challenge he faces as the new state CIO will be to improve the way
departments interact with citizens and businesses. For example, an entrepreneur
starting a business might have to deal with the secretary of state's office,
the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Revenue Department to get
the proper registrations. With an online process, the entrepreneur would
input data once and it would get routed to the proper departments, streamlining
the process, he said.
"We want to work on breaking down the process barriers but do it in
such a way that it's a win-win-win situation...for the citizens, the department
and the department's employees," he said.
Feingold is a 25-year veteran of the Air Force. He commanded the Space
and Warning Systems Center and was director of software systems for Air
Force Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Prior to working for the state, Feingold worked for Robbins-Gioia Inc.,
a program management/consulting firm, and Information + Graphic Systems
Inc., a software development company.