South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden final Thursday named Mark Wixon because the state’s new chief data officer and commissioner of the state’s Bureau of Data Expertise.
Wixon replaces Madhu Gottumukkala, who left his place this month to change into deputy director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company.
“South Dakota depends on leaders like Mark Wixon to take care of a statewide legacy of power, security, and freedom,” Rhoden mentioned in last week’s announcement. “He’s deeply dedicated to public service and has been a precious asset to our state via his earlier work with BIT. I belief that Mark will convey significant, strategic perception to the desk as we serve the individuals of South Dakota.”
Gottumukkala, who held the lead know-how function in South Dakota for practically eight months, informed StateScoop he aimed to steadiness the state’s near-term targets, like cybersecurity coaching, with long-term IT modernization efforts. Final February he helped the Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Division launch a brand new title and car registration system, 605Drive, which is anticipated to enhance operational effectivity.

Rhoden mentioned Wixon has a fame for “successfully translating complicated IT and cybersecurity ideas into enterprise objective-driven know-how choices.”
“I’m grateful to Governor Rhoden for this chance to serve the individuals of South Dakota,” Wixon mentioned within the launch. “My profession in IT has been pushed by the philosophy that revolutionary know-how options can drive constructive outcomes and improve enterprise efficiency. I stay up for persevering with this mission and reaching nice outcomes for the companies which serve this nice State.”
Wixon beforehand served as director of company help at BIT. He has greater than 30 years of IT expertise, and has held varied roles on the Colorado utility Black Hills Power, together with positions in IT safety governance and threat administration, in line with his LinkedIn profile.