Joe McIntosh has resigned after what he has described as an “ethics violation.”
He took on the job in July 2023.
In September, McIntosh reached an agreement with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission that called for him to pay a civil penalty of $2,500 for a complaint that apparently involved his family.
The agreement said that McIntosh has taken “corrective measures to ensure [he] is not and will not be involved in, exercise oversight, control or decision-making, or participate in any manner regarding contracts entered into the state of Oklahoma with his spouse’s employer or any subsidiaries.”
McIntosh, reached via his LinkedIn account, declined to describe the ethics violation. The commission did not immediately respond to a request for more detail.
For his part, McIntosh, via a lengthy post on his LinkedIn site, said that his decision to leave “was a personal choice, unrelated to the ethics matter.”
He took “full responsibility” for the ethics “oversight” in that post, and added that he wanted to “emphasize that this was a genuine mistake, not an intentional act.”
He said he self-reported the issue to the commission, with his “transparency” contributing to the “commission’s decision to settle the matter.”
His LinkedIn profile now describes McIntosh as a self-employed “Transformational Technology Leader” and “Digital & Data Strategy Consultant” who still lives in Oklahoma.
“As for what is next, I am enjoying some time with the family, attending a few conferences, and taking time to focus on emerging technology (data and AI), as that is my passion,” he told Government Technology via LinkedIn. “I will continue to focus on using technology to impact lives in a positive way.”
McIntosh reportedly earned $235,000 annually. State officials did not immediately return a call about their replacement plans.
McIntosh’s professional tech experience stretches back to the 1990s.
His previous jobs included developing software for Hertz and helping to run tech for fast-food provider Sonic. In 2020, he joined Oklahoma’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services as senior director of application development and data services.
