Workforce and People

Massachusetts' cybersecurity chief describes how the state supports counties and cities, what new threats AI introduces to government, and how his legal background impacts public-sector work.

After nearly a month as interim technology leader for the state’s capital city, Borchardt was announced Thursday as the permanent successor for W. Schad Meldrum, who retired last month. Like his predecessor, he is a veteran executive.

RiverTech, a high school being built by Goodwin University, will teach elements of business, entrepreneurship and technology, with an emphasis on new technology and concentrations in fields such as AI and cybersecurity.

Local government should center its decisions on people’s needs, the city’s newly arrived CIO said. This means hearing from residents and staff alike, and doing more with the information at hand.

His predecessor left the job in March. Brinkley worked at the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, Lockheed Martin and other operations while developing his cybersecurity expertise.

After encouraging results with its STEM education platform in middle school classrooms, a Utah-based space tech company has assembled a team of AI and VR specialists to build educational tools.

One year after launch, Southern Connecticut State University's Office of Workforce and Lifelong Learning, with programs in subjects like coding and cybersecurity, is in higher demand than the university expected.

The new center will update obsolete technology for the university's aviation program and feature a new dispatch center, book store, private debriefing spaces and a 16,000 square-foot event space.

Following the retirement of state CISO Bob Dehnhardt, officials have named Nevada’s deputy information security leader to the top role. A search for his permanent successor is expected to follow.

In addition to classes focused on in-demand fields such as IT and mechatronics, the Dallas College RedBird Center also has a support network to offer students career coaching tailored to certification programs.

Officials in the central Pennsylvania county have sent a warning to residents that their information could have been put at risk by a “data privacy event.” They are probing an incident potentially involving civil court data.

Mark Wixon will serve as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Technology, after the recent departure of Madhu Gottumukkala, its now-former commissioner and chief information officer.

Council Bluffs Community School District hopes that a proposed charter school will attract students from around the region with project-based learning in STEM fields like engineering, AI and cybersecurity.

In an email before his departure, Michael Pegues said he had an “incredible and productive tenure” that was “marked by groundbreaking innovations and transformative progress.”

The state governor announced the membership this week, 19 in all, chosen from state and local technology, education and the private sector. Announced in November, the committee held its first meeting this month.

The longtime city employee entered municipal service in 2012 and was most recently deputy CIO. She stepped in as interim CIO in February with the promotion of the former IT director to deputy city manager.

The new information security leader, previously part of its technology organization, was formerly with Dallas, where he helped stand up that city’s first-ever cyber fusion and security operation center.

Veritone has inked a public safety redaction deal with Technology North, which hires people on the autism spectrum to help remove sensitive data from evidence, the latest move in gov tech to help neurodivergent people.