Governor Mark Dayton announced in a press release today his appointment of Carolyn Parnell, currently Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services for the Minnesota System of Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), to head the Office of Enterprise Technology (OET). Parnell will serve as Minnesota’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), leading OET’s delivery of services that improve government through the effective use of information technology.
Parnell has been leading technology organizations for 25 years, including MnSCU, the fifth-largest system of two-and-four year colleges and universities in the country. Her record of increasing system efficiency includes saving MnSCU millions of dollars in consulting costs while improving worker output. Additionally, Parnell brings a wealth of experience in information technology management from her time as the Director of Information Technology at MN Public Radio/American Public Media, as well as serving as the Director of Networks and Data Centers at Fidelity National Information Systems and as the Director of Networking and Telecommunications Services at the University of Minnesota.
“We are delighted to welcome Carolyn Parnell into the Dayton Administration,” said Chief of Staff Tina Smith. “As Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services in the MnSCU system, Carolyn demonstrated her capacity to lead large technology organizations and improve the public’s return on our technology investment. She’s a strong, effective manager who gets results, and she understands how technology can be a valuable tool in making Minnesota state government work for residents.”
