Vermont names its second chief technology and enterprise services officer
After leading a search for a “visionary technology leader” to replace Mark Combs, who announced his retirement plans in February, Vermont’s technology bureau on Tuesday announced that Ashish Shukla will serve as the state’s new chief technology and enterprise services officer.
According to the state’s Agency of Digital Services, Shukla most recently served as the chief digital officer for the IRS. On his LinkedIn profile, Shukla advertises that he spent three years with the agency, from 2022 through 2025, developing its digital business model.
Denise Reilly-Hughes, Vermont’s chief information officer, said in a press release that Shukla “brings a thoughtful, outcome-oriented approach that aligns technology with the real needs of Vermonters.”
Combs, who reported plans in February to stay in his role long enough for the state to find his replacement, was not only the state’s inaugural chief technology and enterprise services officer, a role he assumed last July, but the state’s inaugural chief technology officer, a role he assumed in 2017, four months after Gov. Phil Scott took office. (Scott, a Republican, is the nation’s second-longest serving incumbent governor. There are no term limits for the office of governor in Vermont, a position elected every two years.)
In the state’s press release, Shukla said he plans to “build on the agency’s foundation” and cited plans for “close collaboration with our partners across state government to align technology with mission needs and drive practical, high-impact improvements.”
Before joining the IRS, Shukla held several roles in the private sector, including two-and-a-half years with IBM. In 2021, he founded a startup called Meegli, which aspired to be “a more authentic, transparent, and impact-oriented alternative to traditional online marketplaces,” according to his LinkedIn profile. An archived copy of Meegli’s website describes features such as the ability to “rate environmental impact” and “connect with the values-oriented customers who share your values.”
