Deputy Directors
Scott Adams, Deputy Director of Broadband and Digital Literacy
Scott Adams was appointed to head the state’s broadband efforts by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021. His professional history includes positions as Rebuild North Bay’s first-ever scholar-in-residence and director of government and external affairs for Comcast in the Bay Area, where he implemented efforts to bring high-speed internet to low-income households.
Sahana Ayer, Chief Counsel
Sahana Ayer was appointed CDT’s Chief Counsel in 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom after serving as Acting Chief Counsel since 2020. She has held positions at the Office of Systems Integration and Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and served as a Staff Attorney for Orange County, North Carolina.
Brenda Bridges Cruz, Deputy Director
Brenda Bridges Cruz was appointed Deputy Director of Special Projects by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of CDT’s Office of Professional Development, where she was responsible for the oversight of statewide IT professional development initiatives and workforce development programs. Before joining CDT, Bridges Cruz served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer at Covered California and has more than 20 years of private and public sector IT experience.
Miles Burnett, Chief Administrative Officer
Miles Burnett is the Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining CDT in 2017, Burnett served as the Deputy Director of Administration for the California Department of General Services and as Deputy Executive Officer of Administration for the Victim Compensation.
Edmond Cheung, Deputy Director of Legislation
Edmond Cheung was appointed Deputy Director of Legislation by Governor Gavin Newsom in December 2022. He has over a decade of experience in the California State Assembly during which time he has served as Chief of Staff, Committee Consultant, and Legislative Aide.
John Cleveland, Deputy State Chief Information Security Officer
John Cleveland was appointed Deputy State Chief Information Security Officer in 2021. His prior state positions include manager of the Statewide Security Operations Center, security operations chief at the Employment Development Department, chief information security officer at the Department of Child Support Services, and chief technology officer at the Contractors State License Board.
Chinyere ‘Chi’ Emodi, State Chief Project Officer
Chinyere ‘Chi’ Emodi was appointed Deputy Director and Chief Project Officer for the Office of Statewide Project Delivery at the California Department of Technology in 2021. She is a state technology veteran with several senior-level positions under her belt, including Director of Application Services at the Los Rios Community College District and CIO of FI$Cal’s Information Technology Division. Emodi also spent five years as CDT’s Principal Data Processing Manager.
Pam Haase, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives
Prior to her 2021 appointment as Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives, Pam Haase served as CDT’s Chief of Statewide Technology. She joined CDT in 2006 as the Account Director in Customer Engagement and held other state positions with the departments of Conservation, Water Resources and Correctional Health Care Services. Previous to her roles in state government, Haase worked in private management consulting for Price Waterhouse.
Monica Hernandez, Deputy Director of Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Monica Hernández was appointed Deputy Director of Communications & Stakeholder Relations in 2023. Prior to this, she was an appointee at the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Before her state service, she held multiple positions in regional and local government including Director of Innovation and Partnerships at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. Ms. Hernández has nearly 20 years of experience in government communications, stakeholder engagement, and equity-based policy and program development.
Crystal Holcomb, Deputy Director Office of Professional Development
Crystal Holcomb was appointed Deputy Director of the Office of Professional Development in March 2023. Previously, she served as Branch Chief of CDT’s Customer Engagement Services. Prior to joining CDT, she managed IT operations in various roles at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Crystal is a proud ITLA Class 22 graduate and has over 20 years of state service.
Mark Monroe, Deputy Director, Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative
Mark Monroe was appointed Deputy Director for the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative in October 2021. Prior to his appointment, he worked at the California Department of Finance since 2000 where he had served as an Assistant Program Budget Manager since 2011. With a strong interest in public policy, Monroe has extensive experience in policy related to utilities, transportation, business, housing, labor, local government, and tax policy.
Vitaliy Panych, State Chief Information Security Officer
Vitaliy Panych was appointed State Chief Information Security Officer by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021. Prior to his appointment, he had been serving in an acting capacity for nearly 2 years. A veteran of state government technology, he worked at several state departments in progressively senior roles before arriving at CDT in 2018 as Deputy State CISO.
Jonathan Porat, State Chief Technology Officer
Jonathan Porat was appointed State Chief Technology Officer in 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Previously, he served as CDT’s State Chief Technology Innovation Officer following a position as Seattle’s first Information Technology Engagement Manager. Porat worked across governments to lead initiatives with city executives, frontline staff, Seattle’s City Council, the Washington State Legislature, and the US Congress to identify business and policy issues, find innovative tech solutions, and ensure they would be sustainably managed for years to come. Previously, he worked at the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy and in the Executive Office of the President.
Blaine Wasylkiw, Deputy State Chief Technology Innovation Officer
Blaine Wasylkiw was appointed Deputy State Chief Technology Innovation Officer in 2023. Prior to this position, he served as CDT’s chief web officer and led the teams that developed and supported solutions including the California COVID-19 Digital Vaccine Record, the CAWeb Publishing Service, the California Design System, and the State of California Web Template. Previous to his state service, Wasylkiw spent nearly nine years at the California Dental Association, directing its online services efforts and e-commerce platforms and serving as director of technical solutions from 2018 – 2020. Wasylkiw was also director of digital media for The Sacramento Bee from 2006 – 2011.
Andrew Wertin, Deputy State Chief Project Officer
Andrew Wertin serves as CDT’s Deputy State Chief Project Officer and has been with the department since 2012. Prior to this role, Andrew served as one of CDT’s four oversight branch chiefs. Before beginning state service, Wertin served as a consultant to the state. He has training and a background in system engineering and development and worked in the private sector as defense contractor.
Quentin Wright, Department Chief Information Officer
Quentin Wright joined CDT in 2019 as the department’s Chief Information Officer. His 20-year career in government tech includes earlier stints at CDT in the State Data Center as well as at the DMV. His last position prior to CDT was CIO for Technology and Administration at the Office of Traffic Safety.