‘Respecting people’s time’ key to service delivery, says Minnesota CIO

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has made services for children and families — via the One Minnesota Plan — his administration’s keystone initiative. Many of those services need technology to work, and the state’s top technology official, state Chief Information Officer Tarek Tomes, tells StateScoop that his focus is on “respecting people’s time.” “We’re making sure that we don’t force Minnesotans to transact on government’s time but that we’re available for Minnesotans to transact with government when it’s convenient for them,” he says in a video interview. “And really at the core of that is providing digital services that are available 24 hours a day.”

This video was recorded on Oct. 1, 2024, at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers annual conference in New Orleans.