Neal-Graves was officially appointed by Gov. Jared Polis to serve as state CIO in October 2020. Prior to that appointment, he had been serving as the state’s interim CIO since the departure of former CIO Theresa Szczurek in September 2020.
“It has been a tremendous honor to work alongside such a committed and dedicated team at OIT while transforming technology in the state, making it easier for Coloradans to receive government services,” said Tony Neal-Graves in the announcement. “I look forward to watching the state continue to grow its digital government services and award an unprecedented amount of funding for broadband expansion to ensure that every Coloradan has access to reliable, high-speed Internet.”
Neal-Graves' tech experience stretches back to 1992, according to his LinkedIn profile, and he has held various leadership roles in both state government and the private sector.
According to the announcement, Neal-Graves will remain with OIT until later this year to help ease the transition for OIT's next executive director. The governor’s office will begin the hiring process for a new CIO and executive director in the coming weeks.
“The Governor’s Office will initiate a search with the goal of onboarding the new CIO prior to Tony’s departure for knowledge sharing," OIT Chief Communications Officer Brandi Wildfang said in an email.
During his time serving the state, Neal-Graves contributed to several key initiatives to improve access to government services in the digital age. He has helped support equity initiatives in the state that involve technology. For example, the state recently started offering a digital tool to Coloradans who are blind or have low vision to more easily navigate spaces like DMV centers and state parks.
“Tony helped save people time and money by digitizing key government services, reducing technical debt and protecting critical state systems,” Polis said in the announcement.
And notably, prior to his CIO role, he helped to address disparities in digital equity in his role with the state’s broadband office. Brandy Reitter has since taken over leadership of the Colorado Broadband Office.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Neal-Graves' departure date.
