Last week Governor Dayton thanked Carolyn Parnell for her service at MN.IT  Services Commissioner; she is resigning and we are sad to see her go. Like the Governor, we thank her for her hard work in improving IT services and reducing costs for the State…

As Commissioner of MN.IT Services, Carolyn Parnell ably led major reforms in our state government’s information technology and related services,” said Governor Dayton.  “This consolidation improved agencies’ efficiencies and saved Minnesota taxpayers nearly $28 million. I am grateful to Carolyn for her dedicated service to the people of Minnesota

“I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments we’ve made in the past four years to improve how information technology powers state government,” said Commissioner Carolyn Parnell. “While the investment in information technology is never done, I know that the changes we have made over the past four years will make it far easier for the State, going forward, to invest wisely in the things that matter.”

We thank her for her innovation and imagination, which was recognized last year when she made Gov Tech’s list of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers. We thank her for the countless ways she shared her expertise. And for her support of Open Government – from supporting Open Government efforts to supporting events such as Hackathons that promote Open Government.

I got to know Carolyn through her work on the Blandin Broadband Strategy Board. The job is part approving broadband grant applications and part helping to steer conversations in and out of the boardroom to promote better broadband in Minnesota. Busy as she is, Carolyn always came prepared, had great questions about the grant applications and great insight for conversation.

I was personally impressed with how down to earth, yet geeky Carolyn is. She’s the sort of woman who grows her own food – but using the latest precision agriculture apps, even in her own backyard. She’s very practical and able to look at a very large picture (like IT throughout State offices and agencies) and bring better order and process to it.

Carolyn came to the job with a wide range of experience working for MNSCU and private companies and that mix of understanding public service and appreciating business acumen made her an asset to the State; one that will be hard to replace. (Although they are already accepting applications!)