WaTech Gets New Director

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Washington Governor Jay Inslee has named James A. Weaver director of WaTech. Weaver takes over from Vikki Smith who has served as interim director since July.

Weaver is currently the Commonwealth Chief Technology Officer in Pennsylvania where he manages the statewide information technology strategy, direction and implementation. Prior to his work as CTO, Weaver worked as deputy chief information officer and as chief technology officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Weaver is filling a role that was vacated by Washington CIO Michael Cockrill last year. Cockrill took a role in the private sector. In his new post, Weaver will be tasked with responding to a state audit conducted last year that shows the need for significant improvements in WaTech’s service delivery. The agency itself is only a few years old, but the audit cited issues with a lack of transparency around cost and components of service.

Since Cockrill’s departure, the role has been filled by two interim staffers. With permanent staff in place, it is likely that the agency will be able to focus on a long-term strategic improvement plan.

In a statement, Governor Inslee emphasized Weaver’s decades of experience and said he “will build on the important work that WaTech has done to serve the people of Washington through technology.”

Weaver will take over the role on December 10.