* Press release…
Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following personnel appointments:
Paula Basta will serve as Director of the Illinois Department of Aging (IDOA). Basta has dedicated her career to improving the lives of senior citizens and promoting women’s and LGBT rights. She currently serves at the director of senior services and health initiatives at the Chicago Housing Authority and teaches at the Loyola University School of Social Work. Basta came to the CHA after over 18 years at the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, where she served as regional director of the Northeast (Levy) Senior Center from 2004 to 2018 and as the director of information and assistance from 2000 to 2004. Prior, Basta spent over four years as the executive director of H.O.M.E., Housing Opportunities & Maintenance for the Elderly, and nine as a social worker and the director of religious education at St. Clement Roman Catholic Church. She received her Master of Divinity from the McCormick Theological Seminary and her Bachelor of Science in social work from the University of Dayton. Basta was inducted to the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2009.
Ron Guerrier will serve as Chief Information Officer of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT). Guerrier has more than 20 years of experience managing IT in the private sector and has served as chief information officer for multi-billion dollar companies since 2012. He last served as the CIO of Express Scripts, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, and also served the same role at Farmers Insurance Group from 2015 to 2018. Prior, Guerrier spent 17 years at Toyota North America, rising from an IT manager to division director to chief technology officer to vice president and chief information officer. He received his Master of Science in management from North Park University, his Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and executive education certificates in information technology from the University of Chicago, University of California Berkeley, Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Muriel will serve as Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI). Muriel is a civil and commercial lawyer with more than 20 years of experience representing small businesses and professionals in trials, appeals and arbitrations in state and federal courts. His core practice is civil and commercial litigation, including insurance coverage and bad faith claims, financial fraud claims, legal malpractice cases and consumer class action cases, including actions brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Muriel was formerly President of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and President of the Alumni Board of Governors for Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He also has served on numerous civic boards, including serving on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, Almost Home Kids and the Executive Committee for the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening. He received his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University School of Law and bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:31 pm:
“20 years of experience managing IT in the private sector”
He’s in for a surprise…
- Give Me A Break - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:37 pm:
“He’s in for a surprise…”
He’s about to discover the world of ASCI DOS and COBALT. LOL
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:37 pm:
Mr. Guerrier’s 20 years are inadequate, the computer programs utilized by the State are at least 30 to 40 years old. How is he going to be prepared to deal with software that dates from the Cold War?
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:46 pm:
Mr. Guerrier, if the computer asks “would you like to play a game?” The answer is NO!
- Nick Name - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:52 pm:
===Paula Basta will serve as Director of the Illinois Department of Aging (IDOA).===
Department *on* Aging. Ouch, Pritzker press office.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:55 pm:
When Ron Guerrier receives his first maintenance request for an 80’s-era AS400 system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLRwG86sE4s
- NIU Grad - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 1:56 pm:
“Department *on* Aging. Ouch, Pritzker press office.”
That’s quite embarrassing.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:11 pm:
The State is going to finally be bankrupt when the IT systems retire. Those pensions are going to be brutal./s
- Last Bull Moose - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:17 pm:
I wish Mr. Guerrero much success. The State needs good IT leadership. Here is some advice.
Listen intently. Listen for the speakers agenda as well as the technical facts.
Remember that everything was done for a reason. The reason may no longer make sense. Understanding the old reasons helps you move forward.
Focus on functionality, not age. A system is not obsolete if it still functions.
Respect the workers. They have a mix of skills and varying levels of commitment to the job. Managing superstars is easy. Managing the state work force needs more leadership and persuasion.
Make haste slowly. If you make bad decisions quickly during your initial days, you will never recover.
Good luck
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:23 pm:
Paula and Rob are both friends and will both be great. Delighted with how this administration is moving.
- Skeptic - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:49 pm:
I would add one bit of advice to LBM’s post:
“One size doesn’t fit all.”
- NeverPoliticallyCorrect - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:49 pm:
Sounds like Mr. Guerrero has the right background, which is good. State IT services are obsolete. And honestly, they do need to blow up the system. The same argument has been used for my 30 years working with state IT systems, we’re looking into making changes. This is where we need someone to say, government is a business and we need modern IT business systems. Also, please don’t but software from a crony.
- Red Skeptic - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:53 pm:
Glad to see someone with a solid professional background in IT to lead the mess that is DOIT.
- Ghost of IT past - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:56 pm:
Will it fall to Guerrier to explain the $100s of millions in spend on ERP his predecessor’s predecessor blew through without an effectively working implementation? Or is that still a secret?
- Annonin' - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:58 pm:
The question for the DoIT dude is how much GovJunk “upgrades” will need to be tossed. He sent a lot of $$$ to his pals
- Yanks - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:46 pm:
Bye bye Dropka at Dept on Aging
- Fiercely Independent - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:53 pm:
* * * He’s about to discover the world of ASCI DOS and COBALT. LOL * * *
Forgive me being picky, but it’s COBOL.
- Smitty Irving - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:17 pm:
For those making fun of COBOL, you’d do well to consider (Rich, please don’t delete this) the federal government, particularly DoD, and how their ERPs have been, and continue to be, miserable failures. Sorry, Larry Ellison and Oracle don’t update their Commercial Off The Shelf State of Illinois financial software biannually to accommodate IOC’s SAMS Manual updates. No such product exists.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:25 pm:
When you test for a state IT position, the tests still ask about data tapes.
Yeah.
- Chicagonk - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:29 pm:
I’m not exactly impressed with the resume of the new head of the Department of Insurance. I’m sure he is smart, but it doesn’t seem like he has much if any relevant experience in the industry.
- lincoln's beard - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:30 pm:
Yeah, but who is Robert Muriel?
- DuPage Dave - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 9:20 pm:
At recently as two weeks ago we were being told that ERP was finally going to be launched July 1. It would be kind of crazy to do that with a new crew coming in to DOIT, but who knows??