In a message to staff, the Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS) announced that director Gary Robinson will retire on December 31, 2008.
Robinson was named to head DIS by Governor Chris Gregoire on February 16, 2005. As DIS director, Robinson was the de facto state CIO and had just become the vice president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). He was slated to become NASCIO president in 2010.
The announcement comes less than a month after Gregoire's re-election. Since then, the returning administration confronted estimates that the state deficit has ballooned to as much as $6 Billion, prompting the governor to warn about what to expect in the budget she plans to release this month, "I will come up with something that will look truly ugly, truly ugly."
The sharp decline in state fortunes came as DIS was working to revamp its proposal to build a new state data center, estimates for which had spiked $110 Million from $260 Million to $370 Million earlier this year thanks to rising construction costs and the unforeseen need to mitigate the effects of increased traffic on the neighborhood. The revised, smaller package came with an estimated cost of $262 million. When contacted for comment on the data center's status, DIS Communications Director Joanne Todd wrote that, as of November 21, "The project is still under consideration by [the governor's budget writers at] OFM."
Earlier this fall, the state pushed a long-troubled offender management system at the Department of Corrections over the finish line. The turnaround began three years ago after the state changed vendors and, at the insistence of the governor, made the DIS director responsible for its success.
Robinson began his career in Washington State government with committee staff positions in the House of Representatives and then the Senate, followed by an administrative role at the state Parks and Recreation Commission and a long tenure at the Office of Financial Management (OFM).
Robinson was named to head DIS by Governor Chris Gregoire on February 16, 2005. As DIS director, Robinson was the de facto state CIO and had just become the vice president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). He was slated to become NASCIO president in 2010.
The announcement comes less than a month after Gregoire's re-election. Since then, the returning administration confronted estimates that the state deficit has ballooned to as much as $6 Billion, prompting the governor to warn about what to expect in the budget she plans to release this month, "I will come up with something that will look truly ugly, truly ugly."
The sharp decline in state fortunes came as DIS was working to revamp its proposal to build a new state data center, estimates for which had spiked $110 Million from $260 Million to $370 Million earlier this year thanks to rising construction costs and the unforeseen need to mitigate the effects of increased traffic on the neighborhood. The revised, smaller package came with an estimated cost of $262 million. When contacted for comment on the data center's status, DIS Communications Director Joanne Todd wrote that, as of November 21, "The project is still under consideration by [the governor's budget writers at] OFM."
Earlier this fall, the state pushed a long-troubled offender management system at the Department of Corrections over the finish line. The turnaround began three years ago after the state changed vendors and, at the insistence of the governor, made the DIS director responsible for its success.
Robinson began his career in Washington State government with committee staff positions in the House of Representatives and then the Senate, followed by an administrative role at the state Parks and Recreation Commission and a long tenure at the Office of Financial Management (OFM).
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