Leahy’s departure comes as the state readies for a change in governor that sees the office pass from Republican to Democrat. A change up in the CIO’s office is not uncommon during such a transition — as Government Technology previously noted, “The last time the governorship switched parties … the state’s CIO was replaced within a year.”
Outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan named Leahy acting secretary of IT in 2017, before making the appointment permanent in 2018. Prior to that role, Leahy served as both Hogan’s senior adviser and director of real property strategies for the governor’s office. He was city attorney for Annapolis, Md., before coming to the state.
In his LinkedIn post, Leahy praised DoIT’s efforts over the past years.
“They have accomplished so much, from developing the OneStop portal to improving process efficiencies saving time and money for the state,” he said. “They initiated activities to bring Gov. Hogan's Customer Service Pledge's promise to fruition through the Portfolio Office and the use of ‘plain English’ discussions about opportunities to address in a context broader than which ‘black box’ to buy … I know the people of DoIT will serve the new administration with distinction and their commitment to excellence.”
