The First 90 Days as a Chief Data Officer

Framework by Josh Martin: “The first 90 days as a Chief Data Officer can make or break your tenure. You’re walking into an organization with high expectations, complex political dynamics, legacy technical debt, and competing priorities. Everyone wants quick wins, but sustainable change takes time. I learned this the hard way when I became Indiana’s Chief Data Officer in 2020—right as COVID-19 hit. Within weeks, I was leading the state’s data response while simultaneously building an agency from scratch. The framework below is what I wish I’d had on day one. This isn’t theory. It’s a battle-tested playbook from 13 years in state government, leading a 50-person data agency, navigating crises, and building enterprise data governance across 120+ agencies…(More)”.