Arizona Corporation Commission Adds Seasoned Professional As New CIO

Arizona Corporation Commission Adds Seasoned Professional As New CIO

by | Oct 9, 2023 | News

By Daniel Stefanski |

The Arizona Corporation Commission is adding a seasoned professional to its staffing ranks.

This week, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) announced that it had appointed Ed Block to be the new Chief Information Officer. The release from the ACC introduced its new hire as someone “with over 25 years of experience in portfolio, program and project management,” bringing “a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record in delivering complex systems and software solutions.”

According to the ACC, Block “was the first to get a state agency on the cloud, with extensive experience in various sectors including Education, Learning Management Systems, Banking/Fraud-detection, and Cloud and Infrastructure management. As a certified Scrum Master, he has been at the forefront of utilizing Agile methodologies along with Hybrid and Waterfall approaches since 2004. His collaborative leadership style focuses on asking the right questions and gathering the right data to drive both strategic and tactical directions for progressive solutions.”

The ACC’s release shared information about what Block would be doing with his new job, starting with overseeing “the development and maintenance of software solutions, network systems availability and security, data storage and retention, IT hardware and software purchases, and the administration of the IT budget.”

In his previous role at the Arizona Department of Education, Block accomplished the following:

  • Saved over $500K through early completion and resource optimization
  • Migrated and modernized extensive data storage to Microsoft Azure cloud platform
  • Reduced monthly Azure costs by $40K
  • Implemented Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams for 685 staff
  • Improved system recovery times by 70%

Block’s bio includes being an avid DIY enthusiast and a proud grandfather, working on a pool pump house, and planning to restore his 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto.

The ACC highlighted Block’s belief “in empowering people” as well as “a leadership approach that fosters innovation and team collaboration,” adding that his “multifaceted experience and commitment to innovation make him an invaluable addition to the Arizona Corporation Commission.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Two Top Maricopa County Officials Leaving Over Next Few Weeks

Two Top Maricopa County Officials Leaving Over Next Few Weeks

by | Feb 27, 2023 | News

By Terri Jo Neff |

Maricopa County officials have been working for several weeks on replacing County Manager Joy Rich, who is retiring in early April. Now, the county’s top IT employee is also leaving.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Ed Winfield is retiring later this week as head of Maricopa County’s Office of Enterprise Technology where he is responsible for all aspects of information technology strategy, operations, service, and security.

For now, Winfield’s duties will be handled by Lester Godsey, the county’s Chief Information Security Officer or CISO. Godsey has been responsible for all cybersecurity and data privacy efforts for Maricopa County.

In turn, Godsey will temporarily turn over his CISO duties to Assistant CISO Seema Patel, who is the county’s director of Information Security Assurance.

How long Godsey and Patel hold those interim positions depends on the speed in which the Board of Supervisors replace Rich. The decision has been made to allow the new manager to hire the new CIO, according to a county spokesperson.

Rich, who as Maricopa County’s chief administrator has been responsible since 2016 for roughly 13,000 employees across 40 departments, announced her impending retirement back in January.

Applications for her position were not due until Feb. 13, leading to the possibility an interim manager could be named if a new manager is not in place by Rich’s last day of April 7.

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.