NASCIO Honors New Hampshire Commissioner and CIO Denis Goulet with its Meritorious Service Award
Minneapolis, MN., Wednesday, October 11, 2023, The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recognized Denis Goulet, commissioner and chief information officer (CIO) for the State of New Hampshire, with the association’s Meritorious Service Award. NASCIO created the Meritorious Service Award several years ago, honoring leadership in state government and dedication to the advancement of NASCIO’s mission.
Denis Goulet’s leadership tenure has epitomized NASCIO’s unofficial motto of “expect surprises.” After serving on the executive committee for two years, Denis was elected Vice-President for the 2019-2020 program year. After about three and a half months, the president at the time accepted a new leadership assignment by his governor and Denis was elected president by his fellow executive committee members at the end of February 2020. Denis led the association through COVID-19 uncertainty and disruptions and carefully led the association through many tough decisions. His thoughtful, inclusive and measured leadership enabled NASCIO to not only survive during this time, but to provide new value to members and serve as a much-needed connection point.
In the midst of the uncertainty that the pandemic brought, Denis moved forward with his presidential priority of business relationship management which produced a publication and guide for states in this area. On behalf of NASCIO, Denis also testified before two subcommittees of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security, focusing on cybersecurity challenges facing states and local government systems and urging Congress to pass a dedicated cybersecurity grant program for state and local government. Denis has been fully engaged with NASCIO since his appointment as commissioner and CIO in New Hampshire. Outside of his tenure as president, Denis has served as a co-chair of the Awards Committee twice, is a frequent speaker at conferences, forums and webcasts and has often represented NASCIO at engagements with strategic partners.
His service to his home state of New Hampshire has also been exemplary. Following more than three decades at private-sector software companies, Denis was appointed commissioner of the Department of Information Technology for the state of New Hampshire in February 2015 by former Governor Maggie Hassan. He is now entering his fourth term, which is a relatively long tenure for a state CIO. During his time in office, Denis not only helped the state build its digital presence but provided pandemic leadership and crafted the first strategic IT plan for New Hampshire in more than a decade. Under Denis’ leadership the state has also vastly improved its cybersecurity posture, migrated toward more cloud platforms, implemented multi-agency/enterprise solutions and significantly upgraded its network systems and infrastructure.
Contact
Meredith Ward
Deputy Executive Director
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
859.514.9209
[email protected]
