Chief Information Officer Tarek Tomes says his his focus with digital services is on “respecting people’s time.”

Minnesota Chief Information Officer Tarek Tomes said technology plays a key role in how his state improves citizen experiences.

Funding bills signed by Gov. Tim Walz feature $500 million in overall technology spending, including $130 million for Minnesota IT Services.

Many state IT leaders say their digital services need an upgrade, but legacy tech and organizational baggage are hindering progress.

Minnesota CIO Tarek Tomes said he's willing to embrace "chaos" and "speed" as part of a shift to product-based service delivery.

The CIOs of California and Minnesota said at NASCIO's midyear conference that sometimes small state IT projects have outsized impact.

"This is long overdue," said Ohio CIO Ervan Rodgers, who led his colleagues in sharing how they've dealt with COVID-19 and other challenges.

Minnesota officials hope the new data tool will support "a covenant of accountability" as the state progresses through early phases of vaccine distribution.

The state's contract tracing app helped lower cases after November's spike, and now the state's deploying a tool to track vaccination data, said Minnesota CIO Tarek Tomes.

The CIOs of Minnesota and Tennessee both said their organizational structures aided their pandemic response efforts, but budget cuts could stall progress.