GSA’s Bhagowali to be Hawaii’s CIO

Technology

GSA’s Bhagowali to be Hawaii’s CIO

After decades in federal government, Sonny Bhagowalia is moving to the state government to be the Aloha State\'s first full-time chief information officer.

Federal News Network Staff

June 8, 2011 7:11 am

1 min read

By Jason Miller
Executive Editor
Federal News Radio

After decades of working in or for the federal government, Sonny Bhagowalia is moving to state government.

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie (D) Tuesday named Bhagowalia as the state’s first full-time chief information officer.

Bhagowali has been the General Services Administration’s deputy associate administrator in the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies since May 2010. He’s also worked at the Interior Department, for the FBI and for Boeing.

At GSA, Bhagowali has focused on the implementation of cloud computing, including leading the effort to develop a governmentwide strategy, open government and the federal data center consolidation initiative.

Sources tell Federal News Radio Bajinder Paul likely will replace Bhagowali at GSA at least on an interim basis. Paul is GSA’s deputy associate administrator of Citizen Services and Innovative Technology focusing on strategic and operational implementation of innovative technologies to modernize the agency’s citizen centric infrastructure.

In moving to Hawaii, Bhagowalia is charged with upgrading the state’s legacy technology systems. He will lead a seven-person office, which will focus on improving public online services and making the government more efficient and saving money.

Bhagowalia will get a budget boost right away as Abercrombie also signed a bill into law spending about $1.2 million annually for operations of the state Office of Information Management and Technology.

According to Abercrombie’s office, the CIO, who will report to the governor, will work collaboratively with all state departments and agencies to oversee information technology spending and modernization efforts.