Tennessee CIO retiring

After spending 30 years as an educator and government official, Dugger,

who headed the state's Office for Information Resources, cited personal

reasons for leaving. He and his wife want to devote more time to church

work and to a home security alarm business he has had for the past 20 years.

Dugger said he wanted to leave government on a high note, adding, "From

a standpoint with the state and where we are, we're in as good a position

as we've ever been in technology and with our relationships."

He said he was particularly proud about establishing better communications

with all state government branches, something he said was more important

than any technology changes. "The relationship with the legislature has

turned from an adversarial one to a positive working relationship," he said.

The state government also has developed an infrastructure based on a business

approach, which Dugger said helps it to assess the long-term costs of projects

"to get the most bang out of the Tennessee buck."

Regarding future challenges for the state, Dugger said the government must

tackle the digital divide and be careful to avoid creating a class of people

with access to government through technology vs. those without such access.

And as more citizens become connected, he said, government should be more

conscious of privacy issues. Both challenges are serious policy questions

that need to be addressed, he said.

Dugger is a past president of the National Association of State Information

Resource Executives, which recently changed its name to the National Association

of State Chief Information Officers. He was a member of the Federal/State

Y2K Policy Committee and the Intergovernmental Advisory Board for the U.S.

General Services Administration.

Dugger is the second state CIO within a week to announce he is leaving government,

following Washington CIO Steve Kolodney, who is joining the private sector.