Alaska appoints new acting CIO, the fourth in two years

The Alaska Office of Information Technology has struggled to maintain consistent leadership in recent months as new CIOs come and go.

By Ryan Johnston

October 30, 2019

(Getty Images)

Alaska has announced a new acting chief information officer, Ben Shier, who is the fourth person to take the position in the last two years.

The Alaska Office of Information Technology website confirms that Shier, a longtime state employee, is the newest the acting CIO. Shier, who started in the role this month, has worked across various agencies since he graduated from the University of Alaska in 2007, including the Department of Environmental Education and the Commission on Postsecondary Education.

Ben Shier (Ben Shier / LinkedIn)

In his new role, Shier replaces John Boucher, another interim CIO who began in February and who replaced Bill Vadja, Alaska’s first statewide CIO, in August of last year. Two other interim CIOs, Paula Vrana and Peter Zuyus, have also spent stints in the role within the last two years.

Since February, Shier has served as the chief technology officer for policy and planning in the state’s OIT, and will work alongside Deputy CIO Dan Debartolo in the new role. He also served as the state’s enterprise technology services director for six months in 2017, prior to the consolidation of the state’s IT resources.

Shier could not be reached for comment.