North Carolina names first chief digital officer

North Carolina has named Erik Ross as the first chief digital officer in the state’s history where he will lead statewide digital initiatives aimed at making state government easy to use and cost-effective.

Ross recently served as North Carolina’s director of innovation and digital transformation leading the North Carolina Innovation Center, where agencies test technology solutions before the state invests in them.

Ross is also leading North Carolina’s recently announced “Digital Commons” project, a collaborative statewide effort to improve the customer’s online experience on agency websites.

That last initiative has been a major focus for Gov. Pat McCrory who in the two years since taking office has pushed the state’s technology leadership to make interacting with the state government as easy as checking sports scores on a phone or shopping online.

Ross has held a number of executive roles at startups and Fortune 500 companies. At Bank of America, he held the position of senior vice president, research and development executive. He also held the role of executive-in-residence at the MIT Media Lab.