New California CIO Chris Given wants technology to be an enabler, not a bottleneck

Chris Given, California’s new chief information officer, is taking the helm as the nation’s most populous state faces a familiar government technology challenge: How to modernize aging systems while making room for the next generation of digital services.

Given, who was appointed state CIO and director of the California Department of Technology in April after Liana Bailey-Crimmins retired, said his early focus will be helping agencies tackle legacy technology systems, expand digital identity services and build on California’s leadership in artificial intelligence — all while navigating tighter budget realities and a changing technology landscape.

“The state CIO role is a change for me in that I don’t have one mission, but I inherit many missions,” Given told StateScoop in an interview this week. “We’re fundamentally a department in service of the missions of literally every single department in the state, so we have to be ruthless about how we’re assessing how well we’re serving the state.”

Rather than pursuing large-scale modernization projects that take years to deliver results, Given said CDT will focus on helping agencies make incremental improvements that produce measurable returns.

“We are not going to be able to fund $40 million or $50 million projects for base needs going forward,” Given said. “We’re going to have to think more about shared services. We’re going to have to think more about how we can consolidate our footprint down into doing a smaller number of things better.”

Given, who has served as deputy secretary for technology and innovation at the California Government Operations Agency since last year, arrives at a moment of transition for California government technology.

Under Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose term is up this year, the state has gained national attention for initiatives including AI governance frameworks, broadband expansion, digital identity efforts and the launch of the state’s generative AI assistant, Poppy.

He said one of his first priorities will be working with agency technology leaders to address California’s legacy IT portfolio and the challenges created as agencies modernize systems and reduce their reliance on state-operated infrastructure.

“The big challenge that I’m coming into is a problem that we can’t solve alone,” Given said.

Beyond modernization, Given said accessibility will also be a major focus of the department. He pointed to the state’s broadband investments, digital identity program and web accessibility initiatives as examples of efforts designed to make government services easier for Californians to access.

He said digital identity, in particular, could play a major role as agencies prepare for increased eligibility verification requirements in public benefit programs such as SNAP and Medicaid.

“I think digital ID comes first and foremost to mind,” Given said, calling it a foundational technology that can reduce administrative burden while strengthening privacy protections and security.

Artificial intelligence is another area where Given said he hopes California will continue to lead. He pointed to Poppy as a way to help public servants safely experiment with AI and build tools tailored to their own operational needs. Launched last September, the tool operates on a secure, state-government network, only pulling information from official CA.gov websites to ensure sensitive data is not compromised.

Starting July 1, Poppy will move from pilot status into production and become available to additional customers across the state. For Given, the goal of the expansion is not simply adopting new technology, but ensuring it delivers meaningful outcomes.

“Is technology a bottleneck or is it an enabler? Is CDT a bottleneck or an enabler?” he asked, adding, “We need to be real about what success looks like. A project that’s delivered on time after taking years to get off the ground isn’t a success.”