St. Paul, MN - Today Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Carolyn Parnell, currently Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services for the Minnesota System of Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), to head the Office of Enterprise Technology (OET). Parnell will serve as Minnesota's Chief Information Officer (CIO), leading OET's delivery of services that improve government through the effective use of information technology.

Parnell has been leading technology organizations for 25 years, including MnSCU, the fifth-largest system of two-and-four year colleges and universities in the country. Her record of increasing system efficiency includes saving MnSCU millions of dollars in consulting costs while improving worker output. Additionally, Parnell brings a wealth of experience in information technology management from her time as the Director of Information Technology at MN Public Radio/American Public Media, as well as serving as the Director of Networks and Data Centers at Fidelity National Information Systems and as the Director of Networking and Telecommunications Services at the University of Minnesota.

We are delighted to welcome Carolyn Parnell into the Dayton Administration," said Chief of Staff Tina Smith. "As Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services in the MnSCU system, Carolyn demonstrated her capacity to lead large technology organizations and improve the public's return on our technology investment. She's a strong, effective manager who gets results, and she understands how technology can be a valuable tool in making Minnesota state government work for residents."

I am honored to be selected by Governor Dayton to lead the Office of Enterprise Technology as Chief Information Officer for the State of Minnesota," said Parnell. "I believe that OET is very much about the delivery and use of technology to keep citizens informed and to promote efficiencies in government business. Fundamentally it is about better connecting people to each other and to their government. I look forward to working with the Dayton Administration and with state agencies to maximize the application of technology for the people of Minnesota.

Carolyn Parnell has been a very effective leader and strategic thinker in her role as Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services," said James H. McCormick, Chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. "While we will miss her, we are confident we will continue to benefit from her good work at the Office of Enterprise Technology.

Prior to her work in information technology, Parnell worked as a child protection social worker in Nobles County, Worthington, MN and for a brief time at Dakota County in Burnsville, MN. Her volunteer work includes working for YES/NEON as an outreach worker and a board member for Crisis Connection as well as a board member for the Charles Babbage Foundation. Parnell earned a B.A. at the University of Minnesota, Morris in Sociology and Liberal Arts for the Human Services and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.