Virginia CIO ousted in contract dispute

 A Virginia state technology board ousted the state’s Chief Information Officer Lemuel Stewart Jr. shortly after Stewart apparently clashed with newly installed Secretary of Technology Leonard Pomata over a major information technology contract, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Stewart, who had been CIO of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency since 2004, was removed June 10 after criticizing a recent invoice related to a $2.3 billion state contract for IT services from Northrop Grumman Corp., the newspaper said. It cited reports that Stewart and Pomata have a disagreement about the contract.

Stewart was removed from his job by the agency’s oversight panel, the Information Technology Investment Board.

Pomata will succeed Stewart temporarily as Virginia's CIO.

Pomata on June 7 was named secretary of technology by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, replacing Aneesh Chopra, who became President Barack Obama’s Chief technology Officer. Pomata also is the chair of the technology board's IT Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the 10-year, $2.3 billion contract with Northrop Grumman to transform state government's IT infrastructure.