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February 04, 2011 12:07 AM UTC

Hickenlooper appoints Secretary of Technology

  • 16 Comments
  • by: FrontRangeRiffRaff

(No doubt our resident Secretaries of Technology will want to say hello – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Good to see that our new Governor is bringing the same forward thinking approach to the state that he did as Mayor of Denver. Just announced that he has appointed a Secretary of Technology who has very high level experience and connections with one of the top technology companies. Hopefully this will mean a state government that understands how to effectively use technology. Just as important this could mean a Governor’s office that does what is needed to help Colorado rebuild its technology business and all of the jobs that come with it.

Release from Governor follows:

DENVER – Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011 – Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today Kristin Russell will be the state’s Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer.

Russell is now Vice President of Global IT Service Operations at Oracle and responsible for all data centers and computing operations worldwide. In this role, she leads the organization that provides all infrastructure services for internal business operations and external customer solution offerings. Russell has more than 15 years experience in operations leadership, customer service and organizational design and development.

“Kristin Russell understands what technology companies need and how they fit into our state’s economic recovery,” Hickenlooper said. “Colorado has one of the highest concentrations of technology workers outside of Silicon Valley. Kristin will play a key role in our efforts to attract and expand our technology sector while also streamlining and improving technology services in the state.”

As the state’s Chief Information Officer and head of the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, Russell will be responsible for the overall information systems function state-wide. Her mission will be to increase the effectiveness of government through the use of shared information and technology.

Russell will also lead technology economic development for the state. As the Secretary of Technology she will be responsible for promoting Colorado as a headquarters location for new technology companies to incubate and attract large technology companies to relocate. She will work with the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade in this effort.

“Information Technology is a strategic and foundational element in the State’s economic development and recovery plan,” Russell said. “I am pleased to be selected for this critical role and look forward to leveraging the vast business, private and public communities across Colorado to unify and join forces on this front.”

Russell earned a degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado and is a graduate of the Colorado Executive Development in Residence program at the University of Colorado. She is currently on the board of CSIA – Colorado’s Technology Association and has served on the boards for the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute Leadership Council.

As a result of her community and professional leadership, Russell was a recipient of the Denver Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award and the 2009 Silicon Valley Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) award.

###

About the Office of Information and Technology

The Office is responsible for the operation and delivery of information and communications technology (ICT) services and innovation across all Executive Branch agencies in the State of Colorado. The mission is to increase the effectiveness of government through the use of shared information and technology.

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16 thoughts on “Hickenlooper appoints Secretary of Technology”

  2. And IMO, helluva good choice by Hick. You gotta hand it to the guy: He knows how to spot a smart businessperson who combines serious focus with slightly unconventional thinking.

    (In other words, he’s good at knowing when he’s looking in the mirror.)

    2. Lord…

      It seems my experiences have been similar to Ralphie.  One company I joined had a three year Oracle Corporate Data Warehouse project going, two years later when I left it could hold three months of data and could have up to five users at a time.  Nice work.

    3. I don’t know her, but as she is based in Broomfield, my guess is she came into Oracle the same way I did — via acquisition.  That means she’s only been part of the Oracle Borg Collective for about a year 😉

      So I wouldn’t worry too much about her falling in love with bloatware.  Quite the opposite I suspect.

      She headed up a very sizable operation, facing real world issues and solutions.  Just try satisfying the IT needs of a company that has acquired dozens of companies in the past few years, growing to nearly 100k employees.  The discipline required to do that economically and efficiently is remarkable.

      Time will tell, but I think Hick made a very savvy selection.

  4. I don’t know her specifically. And some of the things the state desperately needs are not core to her present job. On the flip side, Oracle is brutal about kicking out people who can’t cut it and she has met that.

    Big things to watch:

    1. Does she fire the doofuses presently not getting CBMS (and other projects done) and replace them with competent consultants. My worry here is she’ll stick with the large consulting companies that can’t get it done.

    2. Will she work on technology economic development for the small companies, or will she focus on what she knows – the big ones like Oracle. They have a very different set of needs.

    I’m hopeful because getting someone from Oracle is worlds better than what we’ve had in the past.

    1. Sounds to me like a core set of skills the state could use.

      The focus will always be on getting the most bang for the buck, and large, strategic opportunities will always dominate.

      However, technology incubators and promoting more investment in small technology startups will surely be on her agenda.

      She might even take your call and listen to your sales pitch.  Three letters of advice:  ROI

              1. “I just might know of a company that could save the state a couple-hundred-K/year” — depending on which cell phone you’re using at the time.

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