He came on board with the Office of Administration IT Services Division in October 2018, taking over for Acting CIO Rich Kliethermes, who had been serving in an interim capacity since 2015. Cheles came to state service from the private sector, where he directed IT for companies like Gibson Brands Inc., UnitedHealth Technologies and SunEdison.
He told Government Technology that his work in Missouri government has been the ideal capstone to his career.
The outgoing CIO said he hasn’t been involved in efforts to find his replacement. A spokesperson with the Missouri Office of Administration, the agency overseeing the state’s IT efforts, said an interim CIO has not yet been identified.
Cheles said his greatest achievements in the past year have been in the area of professional development, with staff logging about 2,800 more hours of training than when he first took the job, as well as efforts to maneuver the state into a position to use software-as-a-service solutions.
“We have a lot of great people and hopefully, they have witnessed what is possible when they get some air cover and can focus on what they do best as well as have a platform to advance their ideas,” he said. “I was also extremely fortunate to have the respect of the cabinet that treated me as a co-leader to work towards better approaches and solutions for meeting the needs of the citizens of Missouri.”
Cheles’ last day as the state CIO will be Dec. 31.
