North Dakota's CIO to retire at end of year

Curtis Wolfe will retire Dec. 31 from his job as North Dakota's chief information officer, a position he has held for the past six years.

Mike Ressler, deputy CIO and director of the Information Technology Department, will take over as CIO on an interim basis until Gov. John Hoeven names a permanent successor. The governor said he intends to appoint a new CIO by mid-February.

“Curt has done an outstanding job of laying a strong foundation for telecommunications and information technology in North Dakota,” Hoeven said in a prepared statement.

Wolfe's work on projects such as the North Dakota Statewide Technology Access for Government and Education network (STAGEnet) and ConnectND helped expand North Dakota’s digital capabilities and created new business opportunities in the state, Hoeven said.

STAGEnet provides broadband connectivity, Internet access, videoconferencing and other networking services to state agencies, elementary and secondary schools, college and universities, and local governments.

ConnectND is a joint project that integrates the administrative operations of state government and the North Dakota University System.

Wolfe started a technology consulting firm in Alaska in 1974 and then relocated it to Albuquerque, N.M. In 1996, he sold the company to SOS Staffing Services and became president of the company’s IT division.

As a consultant, Wolfe conducted several studies, including a technology review of North Dakota’s state agencies. In 1999, the legislature made the state’s IT department a cabinet level agency.