Maryland Fills CIO PostMaryland Fills CIO Post

Maryland has filled its long-vacant CIO post with a former White House IT executive. Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. last week elevated Ellis Kitchen, who had been serving as CIO at the state's Department of Budget and Management, to CIO for the entire state.

In his new job, Kitchen's goals include establishing statewide IT standards and protocols, reviewing and rewarding IT contracts, accelerating the deployment of a statewide, interoperable radio system, and adopting technologies aimed at improving services and providing efficiencies, according to a statement from the governor's office. From March 2001 to April 2003, Kitchen served as director of special projects at the White House, where he oversaw implementation of IT projects and a communications system that provided the White House with secure links to more than 60 countries.