The governor's office made the announcement amid a number of other executive appointments this week.
Stibitz, who has worked with the state in various roles since 2011, is the first official state CIO at Michigan's Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) since its previous IT leader, David DeVries, stepped down in January 2019. Tricia L. Foster, DTMB's director, had been filling in as acting CIO since that time, said Laura Wotruba, communications specialist for the agency.
The incoming CIO will handle "all aspects of cybersecurity and information technology across state government," Whitmer's office said. Stibitz spent the last five years as chief deputy director of DTMB.
"I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the residents of the State of Michigan, and to continue working with the talented and dedicated staff at DTMB," Stibitz said via LinkedIn.
His predecessor, DeVries, served as CIO at DTMB for 16 months, during which time he worked on a number of initiatives, including launching a statewide enterprise resource planning system and creating an award-winning health and human services portal.
"During his tenure at DTMB, Stibitz was instrumental in improving IT Governance, enhancing the state’s approach to IT security, and at the same time increasing overall customer satisfaction scores for DTMB," the governor's office said in a release.
Before his time at DTMB, Stibitz worked at the Michigan Department of Treasury — first as a senior policy advisor, then as director of executive operations. He also worked in the state Legislature between 2005 and 2010.
He holds a master's of public administration in state and local government from Northern Michigan University.
