Colorado Shift: Temporary to Permanent CIO

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R) has chosen Robert Feingold, a 35-year information technology veteran, to serve as the state's second chief information officer.

As state CIO, Feingold will be responsible for implementing all information technology initiatives in the Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology, according to a Dec. 13 announcement by the state.

Feingold is CIO of Colorado's Department of Natural Resources. He is scheduled to start his new position Jan. 1, 2001, and will report directly to Colorado Secretary of Technology Marc Holtzman.

In making the appointment, Owens cited Feingold's experience in both the public and private sectors and his 15 years doing program management and technical development for the Air Force. Feingold is a "natural candidate" for the position, Holtzman said.

Feingold and Holtzman plan to build on the momentum gathered during the past year and a half when Paul Quade served as the state's temporary CIO, said Holtzman.

"Paul Quade was the ideal person to start the [IT] effort, because he was a visionary and builder," said Holtzman. "Bob Feingold is very detail-oriented, and he will be a good person to implement that vision."

Feingold and Holtzman will focus on carrying forward a number of existing initiatives, such as creation of an Internet portal, an electronic procurement system and oversight of high-dollar, high-risk technology projects approved by the legislature, said Holtzman.


The Office of Innovation and Technology will request between $5 million to $10 million from the state legislature to help fund development of a Web portal in the upcoming year, said Holtzman. A request for proposal will be drawn up in the first quarter of 2001, he said.

Ultimately, the state hopes to provide about two dozen services to Colorado's citizens and businesses through the portal, said Holtzman.

Quade served as temporary CIO from August 1999 through December 2000 as part of special arrangement that allowed him to take an 18-month leave of absence from Galileo International Inc. of Rosemont, Ill. At the time, Quade was director of technology and planning in Galileo's Denver office.