Thaddeus “Thad” Batt, a 20-year veteran of IT, will serve in the new role, which will operate out of the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), according to a release from the office.
As the state’s new blockchain architect, Batt will be responsible for building and promoting the state’s blockchain infrastructure, while also looking for opportunities to expand the technology’s use through pilot programs and use cases.
“The creation of this Blockchain Solution Architect role is breaking new ground and a step in the right direction to secure Colorado as a leader in blockchain innovation, " said Polis in a statement associated with the announcement.
Over the past few years, states have rushed to investigate the potential uses of blockchain in government operations, with legislation being introduced to both form exploratory task forces and implement new procedures to integrate the technology.
Legislation passed in Colorado last year helped pave the way for Batt’s appointment. The Cyber Coding Cryptology for State Records Act created a mandate for the OIT to seek out and implement new solutions to protect sensitive state data from "criminal, unauthorized, or inadvertent manipulation or theft," including blockchain and advanced ledger technologies.
As such, one of Batt's several responsibilities will be developing blockchain solutions to data protection while also working to shore up security procedures around state information.
“The state is actively looking at ways emerging technologies such as blockchain can help us better serve Coloradans, and this role will help lead the way,” said Chief Information Officer and Executive Director Theresa Szczurek.
Before his appointment, Batt spent nearly two decades working as chief technology officer for Spire Digital, a software development company based in Denver. For the past year, Batt has also run his own blockchain consulting practice.
Before that, Batt spent the 1990s helping bring some of Hearst Media’s flagship publications online, according to his Linkedin.
