At the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference in Minneapolis, South Carolina’s Interim CIO Nathan Hogue put himself firmly in that category of non-technical experts who are still capably helming state IT.
“I consider myself to be the Ted Lasso of CIOs,” he joked, referring to the TV series that features an American college football coach who moves to the U.K. to coach professional soccer. While Lasso doesn’t know the inner workings of soccer, he does know how to build a team and lead them to victory.
Hogue only recently took over the CIO post, but during a panel discussion at the conference, he said he’s been with South Carolina for two decades, beginning with a temp job at the service desk. His time working with agencies across the state means he understands how things work and has built deep relationships.
As for what’s next for South Carolina’s IT plans, Hogue said the state is in the process of assessing what applications need updating and where opportunity for new investment lies. He pointed to managed services as being key to modernization, as well as building strong public-private partnerships that will allow the state to enlist outside resources in areas that need it.
