Newstrom chairs Va. IT Board

The newly formed Virginia Information Technology Investment Board named Virginia Secretary of Technology George Newstrom to be its chairman.

The board, which was established as a result of IT reform measures enacted this year by the Virginia General Assembly, is composed of gubernatorial and legislative appointees charged with reviewing and prioritizing enterprisewide technology initiatives across state government.

The new initiatives will be directed by a new agency, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, or VITA. The board also has established a search committee to hire a chief information officer who will serve as the VITA's chief administrative officer.

The new legislation mandates the consolidation of IT services for 94 executive branch agencies within the state. The consolidation is expected to save tens of millions of dollars each year in the management of IT projects and purchase of IT products, according to state officials.

The IT reform legislation calls for agencies to integrate into VITA by size.