Arkansas names new IT director
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday announced that Jay Harton, who’s worked for the state government for nearly three decades, is the state’s new chief technology officer and director of the the Department of Transformation and Shared Services’s Division of Information Systems.
Harton joins after being named the division’s interim director in February 2024.
“Jay’s leadership has been essential in implementing Arkansas Forward and ensuring Arkansans are safe as modern technology advances, and I look forward to his continued leadership as the head of the Division of Information Systems,” said Governor Sanders.
Arkansas Forward is an initiative designed to improve efficiency in the state government and reduce costs for taxpayers. A task force assigned to the project delivered a report to the governor last December outlining $300 million in potential cost savings. Key recommendations included streamlining purchasing, selling old vehicles, centralizing training and other human resources functions, selling state-owned real estate and integrating information technology systems.
Harton previously served as the division’s chief operating officer and division director of enterprise solutions. According to a personnel profile on the state’s website, he began with the state in 1996, working his way up to manager of Windows system support.
