Greg Hoffman, a longtime North Dakota IT executive, was named the state's permanent CIO less than two months after stepping in as interim manager.

As the state's CIO, Hoffman will lead the North Dakota Department of Information Technology (NDIT), oversee its $275 million operating budget and provide direction to its 500 team members. In North Dakota, the CIO is part of the governor's cabinet.

Hoffman was appointed as interim CIO after former CIO Kuldip Mohanty left the company on May 31. Mohanty came on board in February 2023 and took a business approach to the state's IT work.

The new CIO began serving as interim CIO on June 1. Hoffman previously served as deputy CIO since April 2022. Before that, he led NDIT's Administrative Services Division since 2014. Hoffman has been with NDIT since 2005, initially joining as the agency's first budget/rate analyst. He holds bachelor's degrees in accounting and business administration, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck.

According to a press release Thursday, Governor Doug Burgum appointed Hoffman based on his leadership experience and knowledge of the agency's responsibilities, among other things.

“I am committed to building on our recent progress by focusing on customer service, leveraging new technologies like AI, improving the government's overall data literacy, and continuing to place emphasis on our cybersecurity posture,” Hoffman said in a statement.

The state’s former CIO, Mohanty, said earlier Government Technology North Dakota is “on the cusp” of innovation, arguing that technology – including artificial intelligence – is not waiting to disrupt. He praised the governor's forward-thinking approach to new technologies as support for responsible progress.

Hoffman emphasized the role of people who work for the government, saying the work ahead will be accomplished with the support of a “talented team” that offers technology solutions that improve government service delivery.

“[Hoffman] works with agency partners to deliver technology solutions that best serve the citizens of North Dakota,” Burgum said in the press release.

An NDIT spokesman was not immediately available for comment.