ABOUT NASCIO | History
NASCIO 40th Anniversary Slideshow
NASCIO was founded in 1969 as the National Association for State Information Systems (NASIS), but has evolved over the years as the use of information technology and the roles of its advocates have developed in government. In May 1965, the Council of State Government's Conference on Automated Data Processing was held in Lansing, Michigan at the request of the National Governor's Conference. At that meeting, an Ad-Hoc Committee on Automation Technology and Data Processing was established. It was comprised of 20 members and was charged with studying state needs in these areas. In December 1965, the ad-hoc committee became a permanent standing committee for the group, and in 1967 changed its name to the Committee on Information Systems.
In 1968, a subcommittee formed to enlarge this constituency because it was believed that a group of 15-20 people could not adequately speak for the 50 states. In March 1969, NASIS was organized and the first officers elected. The first annual meeting was held in Denver, Colorado in October 1969. At the annual meeting in September 1970, NASIS' membership voted to request affiliate status with the Council of State Governments (CSG). This request was denied. In June 1971, NASIS hired its founding president as executive director, along with an executive secretary. NASIS incorporated in the state of Wisconsin in fall 1972 and subsequently the first executive committee meeting was held and its by-laws adopted.
During this period, the association developed an increasingly robust network of contacts throughout state data centers and took on many intergovernmental projects in the emerging issues of security, privacy, and confidentiality of data, and standards development.
For many years, much of the association's work was focused on networking conferences and publications. The group was initially divided into four geographic regions (Eastern, Midwestern, Southern and Western) which met annually in addition to the national fall conference. NASIS also produced comprehensive annual reports regarding the use of information systems in state government, expanding this study from 39- to 50-state participation, and from a sole focus on the executive branch to include the judicial and legislative branches as well. In large, funding for projects came from membership dues and federal grants, initially from the former federal Community Services Administration.
During the association's formative years, information technology (IT) was primarily used by many state government for automated accounting and a clerical functions. Information technology pushed past data management and record-keeping in centralized locations, and as technology was dispersed through governments however, so did its management. Its members began to serve as liaisons across government and geographic boundaries, and outreach to other state policymakers and their associations, such as NGA, NCSL, NASBO, NASPO and CSG, became a focal point.
In 1989, the membership voted to undertake a major realignment for the association, including a change in name to the National Association of State Information Resource Executives (NASIRE). This new name reflected an expansion of the association through associate memberships as well as the developing role of technology as an integral component of the programs it supported. The mission and structure of the association also changed to reflect an increased focus on system planning and government administration, and the breadth of need for government-wide technology policies and standards. In early 1990, the association affiliated with CSG for management services. Further, the majority of NASIRE's committee and board structures changed to encourage involvement of the broadened membership, and corporations were invited to be members, since developing a leadership council of their own.
In 2001, the membership of the association again voted to change its name to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) to better represent the evolving roles and responsibilities of its members. Like its primary members, NASCIO continued to take on more leadership regarding IT business practice policies both nationally and within the states themselves, delving deeper into long-standing issues such as privacy and security and breaking new ground in the development of enterprise architectures and homeland security. NASCIO also established a Washington, D.C. presence in order to better track federal legislation and issues that may affect state implementation of technology.
State CIOs now not only lead technical solutions across government disciplines, they are increasingly known as business strategists who require new partnerships and alliances to solve government's problems and anticipate emerging issues. Services for the 50 states have dramatically increased as has NASCIO's recognition in the national arena. While the essence of the association remains founded in its partnerships, NASCIO is now known as a leading voice for excellence in business practices, information management and policy for government leaders across the nation.
