Policy & Practice October 2017

our do’ers profile

In Our Do’ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Kristen Duus , Oregon’s Chief Information Officer and ISMChair.

Name: Kristen Duus Title: Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the shared services organization supporting the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA); Chair of IT Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM), an affinity group of the American Public Human Services Association Years of Service: More than 20 years Rewards of the Job: I love con- tributing to the mission of our health and human services organizations— helping Oregonians achieve well-being and independence, and helping people and communities achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being. We face many challenges in managing technology in the public sector—a constantly changing tech- nology landscape, old and archaic systems, limited budgets, heightened public and media accountability, and increasing demands. I find navigating these challenges to deliver successful projects and modernize systems and tools to be very rewarding, especially when we keep in mind the impact we can have on the people we serve. On a day-to-day basis I find the work I do directly with staff the most rewarding— helping staff to learn, grow, and reach their potential, and

Little Known Facts About Me: I have completed the Boston Marathon (2009) and two full-distance Ironman triathlons (2009 and 2010). My Christmas letter every year encap- sulates the year in the form of a “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” lyric (and I might have written a poem or two in the same format for departing staff). Outside Interests: I’m a native Oregonian, and enjoy taking advan- tage of the many outdoor activities available in the beautiful state of Oregon. I enjoy hiking, kayaking, running, and bicycling and like to spend my spare time exploring the back roads of Oregon. I also enjoy travelling abroad and have visited five different countries in the past five years. I actively work to retain my “favorite aunt status” by following my niece to volleyball tournaments throughout Washington and Oregon, and in Nevada and Colorado; by sending regular care packages to my youngest nephew stationed in Germany; and by helping my oldest nephew with his first book outlining his recent 8,000 mile one-year con- tinuous hike on the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. In my downtime, I enjoy reading. I lead a book club or two at work, and participate in our neighborhood com- munity book club.

striving for a “best in class” IT organi- zation that will sustain and grow past my tenure as CIO. Accomplishments Most Proud Of: I joined my organiza- tion one year after the largest IT project failure in Oregon state gov- ernment—Cover Oregon. I’m proud of the work my team has done to put that failure behind us, implement a management system that includes performance targets and scorecards, adopt a results-oriented, response and customer-focused culture, and prove we can deliver successful IT projects. Future Challenges for the Delivery of Public Human Services: This work is hard, and requires an investment of time and resources that we often don’t have in the public sector. Additionally, we are often faced with changing priorities and navigating through the whims of politics. We need to master and overcome the day-to-day chaos so we can spend more time approaching our work strategically and with new and inno- vative ideas. We need to support and empower our staff to become curious about the work, take pride in the work they do, and understand how their work connects to the clients we serve. Today’s world demands that we accelerate our pace and do things faster and better than ever before.

Policy&Practice October 2017 40