Amy Tong, California’s longtime public servant, leaves state government

After three decades in public service, Amy Tong, the former statewide chief information officer, is leaving the California state government.

Over the course of her career, Tong helped usher in statewide technology advancements in procurement, project delivery, workforce development, cybersecurity and rapid emergency response. Her last day with the state was Jan. 31.

In the past decade, she served under both Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, rotating through roles as CIO, director of the Office of Data and Innovation and secretary of government operations. Most recently, Tong was a senior counselor to Gov. Newsom, a role she left at the end of last month.

Tong wrote on LinkedIn last week that she’s taking a short break to “reflect and spend quality time with family,” but is not retiring yet.

“I am incredibly grateful to those who have mentored me, guided me, and supported me throughout this journey, and I look forward to your continued counsel while I discover the next step in my career,” Tong wrote.

In 2016, after serving less than three months as interim state CIO, Brown made Tong’s appointment permanent. She headed the state’s technology department until 2021. During her five-year tenure as CIO, she ramped up state IT projects, established innovation labs and created a cybersecurity road map.

Newsom appointed Tong as his secretary of government operations in 2022, a Cabinet-level post tasked with improving public services, across human resources, pensions, tax collections, government procurement, real estate and school construction.

“A veteran of state service, Director Tong’s deep experience in the public sector and leadership in the technology field have helped guide key efforts to make government more efficient and effective, including our work to bridge the digital divide and help state agencies navigate complex challenges during the pandemic,” Newsom said in a 2022 press release about her appointment. 

While heading government operations, Tong stewarded the state through its first phase of artificial intelligence exploration, in 2024. The state recruited five companies to develop pilot projects, for customer service, health care facility inspections, highway traffic management, public safety and language accessibility. (The projects stemmed from a 2023 executive order requiring the state to explore responsible ways to use generative AI.)

“We are now at a point where we can begin understanding if GenAI can provide us with viable solutions while supporting the state workforce,” Tong said in a press release at the time. “Our job is to learn by testing, and we’ll do this by having a human in the loop at every step so that we’re building confidence in this new technology.”

Since those pilot projects, California has more widely deployed generative AI tools across state agencies, to improve traffic flow, road safety and customer service. The state is also experimenting with a digital assistant for internal use, called Poppy, which launched in September. Poppy aims to serve as “an efficient, effective, and secure GenAI environment for state entities,” according to a state website.

In 2025, Nick Maduros, formerly director of the state Department of Tax and Fee Administration, was named the California’s new government operations director, and Tong became one of Newsom’s senior counselors, focusing on government efficiency, tech and innovation.

Tong has also served as senior adviser to the California Broadband Council, which aimed to close the state’s digital divide, and the California Cybersecurity Integration Center. She worked in various roles at the State Board of Equalization, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

“After 31 years, I have wrapped up my public service in the administration,” Tong wrote in her LinkedIn post. “It was a difficult decision, but with the support of my family and Governor Newsom, it is the right one for me at this time.”