According to Governor Joe Manchin III, West Virginia’s Chief Technology Officer, Kyle Schafer, brings a wealth of technical knowledge and experience to the West Virginia Office of Technology. During the past four years, Kyle has been tasked with the responsibility of the consolidation, standardization and integration of the technical infrastructure for the State of West Virginia. His office is dedicated to accomplishing these goals by centralizing infrastructure responsibilities, standardizing hardware and software environments and developing common IT policies and procedures across the State. Through these efforts, the State has significantly reduced the cost of IT, while increasing customer satisfaction, network availability, and reliability.
Prior to state government, Kyle gained a wealth of IT experience within the private sector. He is a 24 year veteran of Columbus-based NiSource Corporation where he served as the organization’s Director of Technology and Design. Positions held during his tenure include Manager of Application Development, Director of Technology, Vice-President, and CTO. From 2000-2005, Kyle led a team of over 300 IT professionals with a primary focus on the centralization, consolidation, standardization, and integration of NiSource’s technical infrastructure. His experience and skills in setting strategic direction and tactical plans has proven to be an asset to the State.
Over the next four years, Kyle will be implementing virtual office concepts in order to enhance mobility and productivity of State employees, developing a strategic approach to the State’s web portal, leading a statewide ERP implementation, and diligently working with counties, municipalities, local school systems, and telecommunication providers to expand broadband and cellular services throughout the State. In order to leverage resources and build upon common goals and objectives, many of these initiatives will be accomplished via public-private partnerships.