In early February, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the appointment of new cabinet members, including a new secretary for the state Department of Technology: David Garcia, who takes the position as the state’s new technology leader following more than 20 years of experience in technical and management positions.

Garcia is known for founding NMR Consulting in 1996, he served in active duty for the U.S. Army and later served as chief of telecommunications with the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, now known as the U.S. Army Public Health Command. According to a press release by the state, Garcia emphasized better customer service, and applied his knowledge of risk management, information technology, program management, infrastructure services and logistics support.

Garcia’s consulting firm was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, and by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the country’s 500 largest Hispanic-owned firms by revenue.

Maryland’s recent public-sector IT history includes a move toward more open data projects, facilitated through the creation of an open data council in mid-2014. Maryland also scored a B grade -- increasing from a B- -- in the 2014 Digital States Survey, held by the Center For Digital Government, a sister organization to Government Technology. The state was recognized for focusing on IT consolidation and interoperability, while managing performance through StateStat, in addition to launching a public safety radio system and responsive design templates used by departments to steer the organization to a greater focus on mobility.

Garcia’s official start date was March 2.

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