DENVER, Colo.—Secretary of Technology and State CIO Suma Nallapati was named CIO of the Year at the Nov. 7 APEX Awards hosted by Colorado Technology Association. The esteemed CIO of the Year honor is awarded to an outstanding chief information officer at a Colorado-based company or department who has demonstrated considerable ingenuity in leading an IT team and implementing technology projects that demonstrably improve the effectiveness of their organization.

“This moment is so much bigger than me,” Nallapati explains. “This is for all of the amazing state employees, the unsung heroes who work so hard every day to make it easier for Coloradans to access and use government services.”

Nallapati was appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2014 to lead the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), which provides IT services, solutions and support for more than 32,000 state agency employees. OIT is also home to the Office of Information Security and the Colorado Broadband Office. 

Over the course of her tenure, Nallapati has supported the Administration in many groundbreaking initiatives. Under her leadership, Colorado became the first state in the nation to have its health and human services integrated eligibility and enrollment system hosted on the cloud. Nallapati also led numerous system modernization efforts including those for unemployment insurance, driver license and registration, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. 

“Suma knows just how to harness high tech to empower customers and transform the way Coloradans interact with the state,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “She has a deep understanding of technology and can blend it with business to better address the needs of our customers.”

The APEX Awards recognize Colorado’s technology excellence, highlighting remarkable leaders and innovators. Since 2001, the Colorado Technology Association has hosted this prestigious event bringing together the community and celebrating the exceptional people, companies, and accomplishments of the year. 

About OIT
The Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) is responsible for the operation and delivery of information and communications technology services and innovation across all Executive Branch agencies in the State of Colorado. OIT’s charge is twofold: (1) to provide world-class IT services to Colorado’s Executive Branch agencies; and (2) to promote Colorado as the ideal location for IT companies and technology-based workers. OIT drives innovative technology solutions, provides quality service, and supports the agencies whose missions are so critical to serving Coloradans. We do this by overseeing technology initiatives at the state level, recommending strategies and maximizing efficiencies of service delivery in a cost-effective manner through the application of enterprise technology solutions. Our enterprise approach also enables the agile delivery of new applications to state agencies that improve citizen access to government services while increasing accountability and transparency.