I submitted my resignation as CIO for the State of Utah this morning.  It is effective December 31, 2002.  I have many mixed emotions: anger, sadness, excitement, and relief, among others.  In my letter, I said:

With recent events, I have come to realize that I have become an impediment to implementing our vision for eGovernment and an efficient and effective information technology infrastructure. The conversation has increasingly become about me instead of the important work that needs to be done to benefit the citizens of Utah. Because of that, I have decided to step aside.

I also went on to outline some key roadblocks I see facing IT in Utah.  I'll have significantly more to say about the events that led up to this and what I see as the root causes in the coming weeks.  Suffice it to say, for now, that I take a very different view of this that my critics and I am now free to speak my mind. 

One of the questions that always comes up in these situations is whether the resignation was "forced" and the answer to that is a clear "no."   I've always had, and continue to have, the full support of the Governor.  The truth is I've been thinking of this for some time (as far back as last summer) and am excited about the possibilities in web services and related technologies and see some clear opportunities as the economy begins to recover.  I'm happy to be reentering the private sector---older, but hopefully wiser.