Kentucky promotes longtime deputy CIO Jim Barnhart

Kentucky’s acting chief information officer, Jim Barnhart, has been promoted to lead the commonwealth’s Office of Technology as the permanent statewide CIO after nearly two decades serving as deputy CIO.

In addition to serving as deputy CIO since 2008, Barnhart has served in various other roles at Kentucky’s technology office over the last 20 years, including acting ClO during three previous administrations, according to a post shared on LinkedIn by the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet last Thursday.

As the state’s top technology official, he fills a role left vacant by Ruth Day, who stepped down at the end of 2024 after serving as CIO for five years.

During his time with Kentucky’s technology office, the post said, Barnhart helped spearhead several transformative technology initiatives across the state, including leading the executive branch’s IT consolidation, modernizing statewide microwave infrastructure and driving Kentucky’s cloud migration strategy.

In 2020, Barnhart helped the state’s more than 30,000 employees rapidly transition to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and coordinated disaster recovery efforts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Barnhart serves on committees, including the Kentucky Communications Network Authority Steering Committee, and he chairs the Kentucky Wireless Interoperability Executive Committee.

StateScoop has reached out to Barnhart for comment.