MEET OUR Director/CIO
“On August 23, 2019, I testified before the Legislature at my confirmation hearing on the vision I had for the Bureau of Information Technology. Sterling Holloway once said ”If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there…” Developing an enterprise strategy based on frameworks, governance, maturity and organizational change are foundational to the efforts and successes that have been achieved by BIT over the last year.
I am determined as the CIO and Director of BIT to ensure that we are executing the mission as required by our agency charter, and the directives of the Governor, but even more so because our GVI service delivery outcomes will be determined by how successfully we manage and maximize our business transformation.
Digital transformation and IT strategy are very important as technology innovations have changed our world into faster, easier and cheaper. Business models are changing, the role of technology leaders are changing, and the speed of innovation has brought a greater urgency to business change.
As GVI leaders we should view digital transformation as our organizations ability to identify innovative uses of both emerging and current technologies, and by digitally transforming our agency strategies and operations to enhance our missions, as we engage with customers, improve the customer experience, to the benefit of all the residents of the Virgin Islands.”
Experience
Rupert Ross has over 25 years in government service, the majority spent at the Virgin Islands Department of Labor. Mr. Ross served in several positions during his tenure before he joined the Department’s management team in 2004 as the Director of Information Technology. In September 2018, he accepted the position of Chief Information Technology Officer at the Judicial Branch of the Virgin Islands. As an Information Technology executive, Mr. Ross has been responsible for assessing, recommending and implementing technology for the benefit of the citizens of the Virgin Islands. His focus on security, improved efficiencies, customer service, application development and all things data has been recognized by local and federal partners and by his peers. In June 2019, the Governor of the Virgin Islands has nominated Rupert Ross to serve as Director of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer.
Education
Mr. Ross has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Virgin Islands with a concentration in Management Information Systems and is a Certified Public Manager®. He has academic and practical training in personal and organizational integrity, management and change leadership with a public service focus.