[St. Paul, MN] – Minnesota’s Commissioner of IT Services (MNIT), Tarek Tomes, has been recognized by the Twin Cities CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards for excellence in technology leadership. The award honors chief information officers (CIOs) who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and excellence.

“Commissioner Tomes has demonstrated leadership and a forward-looking vision amid an increasingly complicated technology era – he has certainly earned this recognition,” said Governor Tim Walz. “Throughout his tenure as commissioner, I have been consistently grateful for his creativity, dedication, and collaborative leadership.”

“Commissioner Tarek Tomes is an integral part of our team,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “At a time when digital technology is more important than ever, we are grateful to have someone who leads with creativity, compassion, and a person-centered approach at the helm of MNIT.”

“I am honored and excited to share in these recognitions with the entire team at MNIT, ” said Commissioner Tomes. “Over the last year, we have faced extraordinary challenges, rapidly transformed service delivery, and focused on keeping the people we serve at the center of the solutions we provide. I look forward to our work driving innovative uses of technology with our state partners in support of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s One Minnesota vision – to improve outcomes for all Minnesotans.”

Finalists and winners are selected by an independent peer review process, led by prior ORBIE recipients.

Tomes was appointed in April 2019 by Governor Walz to his role as MNIT Commissioner. He brings over 25 years of experience in managing technology innovation in national, international, and public and private sector operations. Throughout his career, he has facilitated data-driven decision making, implemented critical enterprise projects, and improved workforce diversity and inclusion.

At MNIT, Commissioner Tomes is driving a senior leadership team, comprised of IT professionals that carry a blend of private and public-sector experience, to ensure MNIT’s direction as an organization that enhances digital government services. He began his work as the state’s Chief Information Officer by building relationships – creating an example for the role that technologists can play throughout government. Those relationships established the agency’s Connected Culture, a way for MNIT staff to understand how state IT connects Minnesotans with the services they need.

Commissioner Tomes also recently accepted the HMG Strategy 2020 Global Technology Executives Who Matter Award. This award honors premier leaders who have delivered unparalleled value to their organizations in innovation, business transformation, digital disruption, and talent development. The award was presented at the 2020 Minneapolis CIO Executive Leadership Summit on September 22, 2020. HMG Strategy is the world's leading digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world. The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 400,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders.