Chief Information Officer for State of Montana, Brian Wolf Takes Position in Private Sector

Governor Judy Martz today announced that Brian Wolf, Montana’s
first Chief
Information Officer, would be leaving state government in June for a
position in the private sector. Wolf was hired by the Department of
Administration nearly three years ago after a nationwide search.

"Brian has done an excellent job of bringing solid business practices
to the
Information
Technology Services Division of Montana’s government," Governor Martz
said.
"He has
worked very hard to use technology to strengthen government and make it
more
responsive
to the needs of the citizens."

The 2001 legislature created the position of state chief information
officer
to improve the
management of information within state government.

"Brian will be missed in every aspect of state government. He brought a
wealth of knowledge
and experience in information technology and used that wisdom to enact a
vision with
enthusiasm," said Steve Bender the Acting Director of the Department of
Administration.
"We were fortunate to have Brian’s unique skills; such a combination
will be
difficult to replace."

"We have set the state’s Information Technology systems on a path of
excellence." Governor
Martz stated. "With Brian’s leadership we have advanced e-government and
built a strategic
plans for Information Technology within state government that will
provide a
strong foundation
for the future."

During Wolf’s tenure in the Martz Administration, he pursued a number of
information technology
initiatives and led a number of changes in how technology is managed in
state government including:

– Strategic Planning. Brian guided the development of the State’s first
two
statewide
information technology strategic plans to help guide the information
technology community
on a common direction for improvement.

– Best Practices. Brian implemented a large number of proven "leading
edge"
practices to
improve use of information technology in State government, including
procurement, contracting,
systems development, project management, and agency project oversight
and
assistance.

– E-Government. Under Brian’s direction, E-government applications were
aggressively
deployed to the benefit of Montana’s businesses and citizens. 44
separate
E-government
applications have been launched since October, 2001 to allow citizens to
conveniently and
efficiently conduct their business with the State. More services are
in the
planning and
implementation stages to further benefit Montanans.

– Public Safety Services. Brian was successful in coordinating efforts
and
obtaining federal
funding for a number of 9-1-1 and public safety radio projects. These
projects provide direct
benefit to Montana citizen’s by improving public safety services
provided at
the local level.

Wolf will become the Chief Operating Officer of the Utility Division at
National Information
Solutions Cooperative in St. Peters, Missouri. National Information
Solutions Cooperative
(NISC) is an information technology company that develops and supports
software and
hardware solutions for utility and telecommunications cooperatives and
companies across the nation.

Deputy Chief Information Officer Jeff Brandt will become acting Chief
Information Officer.
Brandt holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering from
North
Dakota State University and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
from
the University of Montana. He has been with the Montana Department of
Administration for 27 years.

# # #

Kris Goss
Education Policy Advisor and Deputy Communications Director
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
Helena, MT 59620
(406) 444-3862
[email protected]