Asian American female appointed State Chief of Information Officer in CA

[Sunflare]

A bit late on this, I know, but I think this would be a good article to read up on for all those unfamiliar with the recent news since it involves the growth of the APA presence in US politics.

Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Teresa Takai State Chief Information Officer
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM
THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNER
12/06/2007

link: http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/8235/

Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Teresa Takai State Chief Information OfficerGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Teresa (Teri) M. Takai as the state chief information officer.

"Two years ago, I introduced my Strategic Growth Plan to rebuild and improve California's crumbling infrastructure. But, our state's infrastructure isn't limited to the physical roads, bridges and levees that need repair. We also have to expand and improve California's technology to meet our future needs," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Teri is the perfect person to do that. She has over 30 years of experience in this field and possesses the vision necessary to make our great state a leader in the effective use of information technology."

Takai has served as director of the Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT) since 2003, where she also serves as the state's chief information officer. In this position, she has restructured and consolidated Michigan's resources by merging the state's information technology into one centralized department to service 19 agencies and over 1,700 employees. Additionally, during her tenure at the MDIT, Takai has led the state to being ranked number one four years in a row in digital government by the Center for Digital Government.

Prior to going into state service, Takai worked for the Ford Motor Company for 30 years, where she led the development of the company's information technology strategic plan. Takai also held positions in technology at EDS and Federal-Mogul Corporation. She is past president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and currently serves as practitioner chair of the Harvard Policy Group on Network-Enabled Services and Government. Takai was named "Public Official of the Year" by Governing magazine in 2005.

"I share Governor Schwarzenegger's commitment to making state government more accessible to Californians through information technology," said Teri Takai. "I look forward to working with the Governor, the legislature and other California state officials to create more efficiency and accessibility in state government."

Takai, 59, of Detroit, MI, earned a Master of Arts degree in management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,000. Takai is a Democrat.

In August 2007, the Governor signed SB 90 to establish the Office of the State Chief Information Officer as a cabinet-level agency with statutory authority over information technology policy. The office establishes and enforces information technology strategic plans, policies, standards and enterprise architecture, as well as approves information technology projects for all state departments.

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Let's see how this may make an impact on the Asian American population in California and abroad. Comments?