Returning to state government after three years as an independent consultant, Carlos Ramos of Elk Grove was named secretary of the cabinet level agency in June 2011 by Governor Jerry Brown.

Ramos was principal budget analyst for the state Department of Finance from 1989-1997, branch chief for the child welfare services case management system for the Department of Social Services from 1997-1999 and deputy director and CIO for the Department of Social Services, 1999-2001.

In 2001, he moved to the Stephen P. Teale Data Center, one of the state's two general purpose data centers, where he was director until 2004. Ramos, a Democrat, was the senior technology executive of the state Health and Human Services Agency from 2004-2008, where he had IT portfolio oversight of 14 departments. During his last two years at the agency, he directed the newly created Office of System Integration that manages the agency's multibillion dollar IT portfolio.

Ramos left public service in 2008 to start Maestro Consulting, an IT consulting business. He is a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Government, a member of the Human Services Information Technology Advisory Group, and a member-at-large of TechAmerica.

In his new post, Ramos plays a key role in dealing with troubled state technology programs already receiving public scrutiny. The state's struggling financial information system, FI$CAL, is expected to cost $1.6 billion and the judicial system is enmeshed in controversy over its case management system that is behind schedule and way over budget.

Official Biography (CTA website)

Carlos Ramos Appointed State CIO of California (by Matt Williams, Government Technology)

Governor Appoints Carlos Ramos, Secretary of the California Technology Agency (Governor's press release)