| MOST POPULAR And the Winners Are: America’s Most Digital Counties This week, the winners of the annual Digital Counties Survey were announced – jurisdictions in five population categories that have demonstrated leadership in running future-focused organizations. As their stories will reveal, the technology groundwork they had previously established served them well during the pandemic, but more importantly, it allowed them to continue serving their constituents as COVID-19 began its sweep across the country. See what priorities came to the forefront for first-place Los Angeles County, Calif.; Ventura County, Calif.; Chesterfield County, Va.; Arlington County, Va., and Mono County, Calif., as well as all the other 2020 winners. Delaware CIO James Collins Moves to Microsoft Chief Information Officer James Collins of Delaware announced this week that he would be stepping down from his post, moving on to a consulting position with Microsoft. During his six-year stint as CIO, Collins worked to expand connectivity to all corners of the state, convened a broad coalition to advance the state’s cybersecurity posture and expanded transparency through the state open data portal. Collins served as a past president of NASCIO, and was a recipient of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers award. New Tech Role for N.C. North Carolina has joined the list of states that have not only a chief information officer, but also a chief technology officer. Incoming CTO Dan Kempton comes into the position with several years of experience in the state, most recently leading engineering and cloud services. Prior to his public-sector work, Kempton held positions with CAVU Corp. and Dell EMC. Elkins’ Departure Prompts CIO Search in Austin Stephen Elkins served a full decade as the chief information officer in the capital city of the country’s largest state, but went public this week with his plans to step down. Also a past recipient of GT’s Top 25 award, Elkins was praised by Deputy City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde for his steady leadership and emphasis on innovation. Austin Water CIO Chris Stewart will step in on an interim basis while the city looks for a new CIO. | 