Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

DENVER - Governor Bill Owens has named Steve Grady, a senior information technology executive at Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), to serve as Chief Operating Officer of the New Century Colorado initiative. Grady will serve Colorado in the Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology for twelve months under a "loaned executive" arrangement with HDS. In his new role, Grady will be responsible for helping to implement the Governor's efficiency initiative and will report to Secretary of Technology Marc Holtzman who serves as Chairman of New Century Colorado.

"Steve Grady is uniquely qualified to manage New Century Colorado," said Owens. "One of my key objectives in creating the Office of Innovation and Technology in February was to organize a comprehensive, bottom-up effort to modernize Colorado government, the effort I call New Century Colorado. I'll be looking to Steve Grady to help lead an effort which will result in better stewardship of taxpayer money, a web-enabled user-friendly state government and a more dynamic state workforce," stated Owens.

"Governor Owens and Hitachi Data Systems have given me an exciting opportunity," observed Grady. "I'm eager to work with Colorado's state employees to develop and execute a comprehensive tactical plan to modernize state government. New Century Colorado will make state government more effective, efficient, and customer friendly."

Grady comes to Colorado government as a loaned executive from Hitachi Data Systems. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Hitachi Data Systems employs 2,300 people and operates in 30 countries worldwide offering a comprehensive array of information management solutions targeting the information technology needs of large enterprises. HDS will continue to pay Grady's salary during his sabbatical. Grady will be responsible for implementing the Governor's number one priority.

"Governor Owens is setting the standard for governing in the age of the Internet. New Century Colorado will put Colorado at the forefront of the technology revolution and I'm pleased Hitachi Data Systems could make such a unique contribution to the Governor's efforts," said Dave Robertson, Hitachi Data System's CFO. "Steve has been managing a multi-state region from our Denver office and we will miss his day-to-day involvement in the coming months. Steve's unique qualifications, combining his Hitachi Data Systems, StorageTek, and IBM expertise with transformation and strategic planning know-how, make him ideally suited for this important challenge."

"On behalf of the people of Colorado, I'd like to thank Hitachi Data Systems for allowing us to leverage their intellectual resources for the entire state's benefit," added Owens. "Hitachi is at the center of the global technology revolution and this contribution ensures that Colorado government will be a leader in deploying 21st Century technology. I look forward to personally thanking Hitachi's world-wide President Etsuhiko Shoyama while in Japan in November."

Hitachi Data Systems became a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based Hitachi, Ltd. in 1999. With annual revenues of $66 billion, Hitachi, Ltd. is one of the world's leading global electronics companies. Founded in 1910, Hitachi has grown to include 913 companies in numerous industry sectors. The company manufactures a broad range of products, including multimedia equipment, consumer products, electronic devices, electrical power and energy systems, environmental and public utility systems, industrial equipment, and more. Further information is available on Hitachi Data System's Web site: http://www.hds.com

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