Liana Bailey-Crimmins

Liana Bailey-Crimmins was appointed State Chief Information Officer (State CIO) and Director of the California Department of Technology (CDT) by Governor Gavin Newsom in June 2022. As State CIO, she provides comprehensive strategic advice to the Governor on a wide range of technology issues, including best approaches to implement state technology-related strategic plans, policies, standards, and enterprise architecture. It is her job to ensure California’s technology landscape is resilient, secure, and forward-thinking by optimizing IT operations, and integrating emerging technologies such as generative AI, cloud services, and digital identity solutions. In addition to helping shape the state’s technology policies, she plays a central role in advising on funding needs to support key technology initiatives, ensuring that projects are not only innovative but also sustainable and scalable over time.

With over 30 years of state government technology experience, Director Bailey-Crimmins has been instrumental in driving California’s digital transformation. Under her leadership as State CIO, California achieved its first “A” grade in the Center for Digital Government’s 2024 Digital States Survey. This biennial survey evaluates how effectively state governments leverage digital technologies to enhance service delivery, expand capabilities, and achieve policy objectives across all 50 states. Under her leadership, California has received numerous award honors for its public technology achievements, including several awarded by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). Director Bailey-Crimmins also plays a pivotal role in advancing one of the state’s most ambitious projects—bridging the digital divide through the Governor’s historic $6 billion Broadband for All initiative. As Chair of both the California Broadband Council and the Middle-Mile Broadband Advisory Council, she is responsible for leading efforts to expand high-speed internet access across the state. These councils oversee the state’s push to build a robust middle-mile broadband infrastructure, which will enable last-mile providers to deliver affordable, high-quality internet to underserved and unserved areas. This initiative is essential in promoting digital equity and ensuring that all Californians, regardless of their geographic location, have access to the resources they need to participate fully in the digital economy.

Throughout her career, Director Bailey-Crimmins has held several key leadership positions, including California’s Chief Technology Officer, where she led efforts to modernize the state’s data center operations. She also served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), where she safeguarded the private data of nearly 2 million members and a $400 billion investment portfolio. She also served as CalPERS’ Chief Health Director leading the nation’s second largest public healthcare purchaser program and Chief Information Officer where she modernized their technology strategy and service delivery programs. Prior to CalPERS, she was IT Director and CIO of California Correctional Health Care Services and served in numerous technology positions across eight state departments.