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Five Pillars Will Advance the Illinois Technology Plan

Ron Guerrier leads the relatively new Innovation and Technology Department, but before he can get to work on the technology stack, he has to establish a cohesive departmental culture and understand existing processes.

Illinois Chief Information Officer Ron Guerrier
Illinois Chief Information Officer Ron Guerrier
The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology was codified into law just last year, under the state's previous governor, Bruce Rauner. And while current Gov. J.B. Pritzker supports the department, CIO Ron Guerrier still has much to do.

At the NASCIO Annual Conference last week in Nashville, Tenn., Guerrier underlined the five pillars he's established within the department that he spoke with GT about earlier this year: architecture; project management; service management; data and analytics; and information security.

"Those five are kind of my pillars to move forward," he said.

Since coming on board as state CIO in March, Guerrier has filled 13 of 14 senior-level IT positions to help tackle current challenges. He's also redirected the state's previous efforts toward consolidation, preferring more of a federated approach that establishes guidelines centrally while leaving staff at their assigned agencies to perform their work.

"The next big thing is getting the agencies to really have confidence in what we're trying to accomplish," he added. "I believe we're getting there."

Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.