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Indiana’s Top Data Official to Step Down This Month

Joshua Martin, who oversaw the development of Indiana’s first statewide data strategy and data literacy training, will be leaving his role in January.

Indiana's state Capitol building in Indianapolis.
Indiana's state Capitol building in Indianapolis.
(Shutterstock)
More tech leadership changes are coming to Indiana coinciding with the upcoming transition to a new governor. Joshua Martin, who has served as the state’s chief data officer and director of the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH) since 2019, announced he is leaving his post Jan. 10.

Indiana CDO Josh Martin
Indiana CDO Josh Martin advises asking “hard questions” about the data feeding AI products to help get past the hype.

Martin is a longtime Indiana state employee, first serving as the program director of the Government Efficiency and Financial Planning Division of the Office of Management and Budget in 2012. In 2015 he became chief of staff for the Indiana Management Performance Hub, and worked to build the agency from the ground up to reduce the reliance on outside vendors by expanding the hub to include data science and governance functions.

“I’m immensely proud of the progress we’ve made, including establishing the Indiana Management Performance Hub, developing Indiana’s first statewide data strategy and fostering a culture of data literacy across state government,” Martin wrote in a post on his LinkedIn account. “I’m particularly grateful for the opportunity to have led the state’s data response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring data-informed decision-making during a critical time.”

During Martin’s tenure, the staff at MPH doubled and a statewide Data Governance Council and advisory groups were established. More than 1,800 employees learned to use data effectively in their roles as part of a state data literacy training program.

“With the support of this administration, MPH has truly set a new standard in governance and innovation through the strategic use of data and technology,” said Martin in a statement to Government Technology. “I am grateful to have been a part of the nation’s first state data agency and to have continued leading the pack in multiple data initiatives.”

Martin’s departure comes at a similar time as Indiana Chief Information Officer Tracy Barnes, who will also be leaving his post in January. Gov. Eric Holcomb, who first took office in 2017, will be replaced after two terms by Gov.-elect Mike Braun on Jan. 13.

While Martin did not elaborate on what’s next, he said he’s exploring “new opportunities at the intersection of data, technology and public service.”

According to Martin, former Indiana state Sen. Pete Miller will be filling in as interim leadership. Previously, Miller served as the executive director of the state's Distressed Unit Appeal Board, an organization that monitors the financial health of local governments and school corporations in Indiana.
Nikki Davidson is a data reporter for Government Technology. She’s covered government and technology news as a video, newspaper, magazine and digital journalist for media outlets across the country. She’s based in Monterey, Calif.