An experienced technology leader, Carolyn Parnell was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to serve as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the State of Minnesota. Among her leadership roles as State CIO, she is the commissioner of MN.IT Services, the state agency that provides effective information technology to Minnesota’s government. Prior to joining the Governor’s Cabinet, Parnell was the Chief Operating Officer for Information Technology Services for the Minnesota System of Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), the fifth-largest system of two- and four-year colleges and universities in the nation. Parnell brings a wealth of IT management experience to the State, having also held leadership positions at Minnesota Public Radio/America Public Media, Fidelity National Information Systems and the University of Minnesota. In 2013, she was named to the Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative Strategy Board. Parnell earned a B.A. in Sociology and Liberal Arts for the Human Services at the University of Minnesota-Morris and an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Less   View all posts