Craig Harris

The Republic | azcentral.com

State's top three technology executives all quit.

The three say they plan to work together in the private sector.

The resignations come a month after Gov. Brewer fired the ADOA director.

The state's three top technology executives at the Arizona Department of Administration have quit, saying they want to work in the private sector.

Chief Information Officer Aaron Sandeen, 41, Deputy Chief Information Officer Phil Manfredi, 42, and Chief Technology Officer Kiran Chinnagangannagari, 38, all resigned Wednesday.

Jan. 2 will be their last day on the job.

"We are looking for new opportunities. It has been the coolest, most amazing opportunity under Gov. (Jan) Brewer. But the technology field is such a hot commodity right now, and we are going to do something different," Sandeen said Thursday in a phone interview. "We have been big risk takers, and we see this as a prime time in our lives."

The trio's departure comes after Brewer fired ADOA Director Brian McNeil in October. McNeil was the subject of a racial and sexual discrimination complaint. McNeil has denied any wrongdoing and he had exposed wrongdoing in state government and the Brewer administration prior to his dismissal.

Sandeen said their resignations were not part of a "conspiracy theory." Instead, it was about pursuing new opportunities.

The three ADOA technology executives said they plan to work together, but have yet to figure out what that will entail.

"For us, it's been a great opportunity, and it's time to see what we can do together," Manfredi said.

Chinnagangannagari said working for the state was a "good run."

Sandeen's duties included strategic planning and coordination of all state information technology, IT project review and maintenance of e-government.

Manfredi was in charge of executing the technology strategy for the state, while Chinnagangannagari was focused on improving business processes and using technology to make the state more efficient.

State records show Sandeen's salary was $137,956 annually, while Manfredi earned $115,500 and Chinnagangannagari made $129,950.