DOR Chief Information Officer Jon Kirkham shows that small departments can have a huge impact. In addition to his “day job” as the DOR CIO, Jon is the state’s technology champion and trusted advisor for accessibility, providing leadership so disabled Californians can use the state’s critical digital services.
As CIO, Kirkham led the modernization of DOR’s technology environment and has improved IT’s ability to deliver program outcomes, but his most notable achievements are in his leadership as a voice for disabled Californians.
Before Kirkham, California’s disabled people did not have a voice in the state’s technology community, and the state struggled to find an accessibility leader. While accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, Jon made it his mission to raise awareness of accessibility issues, develop strategies to remediate inaccessible content and technology systems, and provide proactive leadership on accessibility years before 2017’s Assembly Bill 434 (AB 434). Assembly Bill 434 was a watershed event for California state government, requiring state websites to maintain full accessibility compliance and requiring California state directors and CIOs to self-certify that their sites comply.

In the four years since he became the CIO for the Department of Human Resources (CalHR), Crowe has demonstrated unwavering commitment to achieving goals for the department and for the State of California. Crowe is a visible leader and a pioneer of change. He has demonstrated the ability to create and implement a vision for statewide HR automation and data management through Enterprise Human Resources (EntHR). In addition to executing his other duties, Crowe acted as Project Manager during the 12-month effort to revamp and update the state jobs website, CalCareers.
For the past three years, he has served on the Industry Advisory Committee of the Computer Science Department at California State University, Sacramento. Crowe leads by example and inspires employees and team members to take smart risks and to drive positive change in their professional lives. He motivates employees and team members with a clear dedication to creating a positive work environment for his staff. Crowe has also worked vigorously the past several years to improve and raise the information security posture of CalHR and continues to be instrumental for his support, vision, and guidance in this area.