Beyond the hype: On building for continuity and impact in the public sector
Recently, I left my role as California's Chief Data Officer.
In the technology world, everything is expected to break. Devices are built to degrade. Apps are launched with sunset dates in mind. Even leadership roles are often designed to serve the needs of a moment—not a movement.
When I stepped into the role of Chief Data Officer, I knew it could go one of two ways: a brief, symbolic tenure with just enough power to issue a memo or two, or a foundation-setting chapter for something larger than me. I chose the latter—and I designed for my own obsolescence on purpose.
From day one, I asked: What will this look like when I’m gone? Not because I planned to leave, but because I wanted it to matter that I had been there. Planned obsolescence might be a feature in product design, but it has no place in public service. Government work demands continuity. It demands stewardship, not spotlight.
That meant building a team, not a brand. Creating structure where there had been friction. Empowering others to lead. It meant launching efforts like Engaged California with practices and technical design that could be sustained, adapted, and evolved by others. It meant building relationships and communities that weren’t about me—but about we.
As I step away from the role, I don’t see an ending. I see evidence. The work continues—not as a monument, but as a living system. There is a team now. A resilient one. Capable of adapting to future challenges because we built it that way.
We’ve mistaken innovation for churn. For speed. For personality. But maybe real innovation—especially in government—isn’t about how fast you go, or how shiny the launch looks. Maybe it’s about whether the thing still works after you’re gone.
My hope and belief is that the work will continue. It may look different than what I did because it has to. Systems must be built to bend without breaking.
I didn’t build something to break.
I built something to last.
And now I turn my attention to what’s next.
The systems worth fixing.
The future worth imagining.
The work worth doing.
