The vote officially appointed Sanjay Gupta as the department's secretary and CIO, and Brandon Ragle as deputy secretary.
Gupta and Ragle have been serving in the acting positions for nearly a year, starting when they were appointed to the roles by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in June 2023.
The appointments mark a new era of leadership in Illinois, as the state also recently hired a new chief information security officer, Jason Bowen.
Before working for DoIT, Gupta served in both private- and public-sector positions, and worked on the federal government’s pandemic aid portals for small businesses.
Since serving as acting CIO, Gupta has helped craft the IT Trainee Program, expressing in the fall of 2023 that solving the “talent gap” is a priority.
The IT Trainee Program is now on its second cohort. It allows trainees to receive a yearly salary from DoIT while receiving formal mentoring from experienced employees. They’re offered a full-time job with DoIT after completing the program and meeting its benchmarks.
Ragle has worked for the state for 30 years, and works closely with Gupta, specializing in connected infrastructure, cybersecurity and data-driven government.
