The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig P. Orgeron, CPM, Ph.D. as the new Chief Information Officer for Mississippi and Executive Director of the agency. Dr. Orgeron will assume the position effective July 1, 2024.

Dr. Orgeron assumes the role from David Johnson, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Mr. Johnson served the agency and Mississippi in this role for the past four years and has diligently served in state government for 28 years. Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, ITS made tremendous strides in cloud computing migration and guiding the State through the COVID 19 crisis.

Dr. Orgeron brings extensive information technology experience from both the private sector and the federal and state levels of the public sector. Dr. Orgeron has served as an Executive Government Advisor with Amazon Web Services (AWS), President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and on the Executive Committee of the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). With over twenty years of experience with ITS and nearly a decade in the CIO role, he offers a wealth of institutional knowledge. He has also served as a professor in the Else School of Management at Millsaps College developing a Data Science major and a Data Analytics minor for the College over the last three years. Dr. Orgeron's forward-thinking vision aims to enhance the state's information technology portfolio of services by focusing on the expansion and integration of emerging and impactful technologies to create a robust and innovative IT landscape.

Mark Henderson, Chair of the ITS Board, expressed his confidence in Dr. Orgeron stating, “We are excited to welcome Dr. Orgeron back to ITS. With his impressive background in information technology and proven track record of innovative leadership, Craig is the ideal person to guide ITS and Mississippi as we continue to strengthen our IT infrastructure and services.”

"It is an honor to be appointed as the Chief Information Officer for Mississippi,” said Dr. Orgeron. “I am committed to driving innovative solutions and fostering collaboration across all levels of government and the private sector. Together, we can create a dynamic and responsive IT environment that supports our state's growth and prosperity while delivering exceptional service to our citizens."

Dr. Orgeron holds a bachelor’s degree in MIS, a master’s degree and doctorate in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University. Dr. Orgeron is a Certified Public Manager and a graduate of the Senator John C. Stennis State Executive Development Institute, as well as the Institute on International Digital Government Research, and the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Series, Leading in Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Technology and Policy, Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology, and the Harvard Business Analytics Program (HBAP).