State transitions
State transitions
Practical playbooks and proven tech talent for state administrations entering their first 100 days
The moment
In 2026, 36 states will hold gubernatorial elections. Whether a state welcomes a new governor or begins a new term, each transition represents a critical window to set priorities, build capacity, and deliver for residents. That window is the first 100 days of 2027.
Early decisions on senior technology staffing, data infrastructure, and tech-enabled service delivery set the direction for the entire four-year term. States that act quickly gain a real advantage in managing federal funding changes, approaching AI responsibly, and delivering for residents from day one. The preparation has already started.
The problem made visible
Incoming administrations inherit aging technology systems struggling to serve evolving needs. Most transition teams are focused on policy priorities and personnel. Technology capacity is rarely on the agenda until it becomes the reason a priority stalls.
The states that deliver in their first term are the ones that engage technology leadership as a transition priority. That means knowing which roles to hire, which systems to address first, what those roles can do and how to effectively work with tech vendors. It means having people beside you who have done this before.
The model has four components that work together: Implementation Playbooks, Rapid Response, Recruiting and Matching, and Coaching and Support. Each one reinforces the others. A state can engage at any point, but the earlier the engagement, the stronger the foundation.
What you achieve
States that engage with Tech Talent Project’s transition work arrive in their first 100 days with tech best practices and lessons, the senior technical leaders to execute them, and a network of peers who have navigated the same challenges.
The track record from prior cycles is specific. After the 2022 State Memos for a Tech Transition, Tech Talent worked intensively with states to place technical leaders. Alumni in those placements delivered directly for residents: 220,000 or more benefits applications completed through one streamlined process in Maryland, and 63 agency websites transformed into accessible, resident-centered experiences in Pennsylvania.
What we provide
1
Implementation playbooks
Ahead of the election, we deliver eight Transition Memos: actions for your first 100 days, with state case studies and who to call for help.
2
Rapid response
We don’t wait for the dust to settle. We advise during transitions — and provide workshops and on the ground discovery sprints
3
Recruiting + matching
We have the infrastructure to place senior technologists inside state government
4
Coaching + support
Placing talent is necessary but not sufficient. We prepare, support, and build a peer community.
Ahead of the transition, Tech Talent delivers eight Transition Memos: playbooks for the first 100 days of an administration, with state case studies and guidance on the critical technology leadership topics most likely to shape a governor’s agenda. The 2027 memos cover AI readiness and delivery, benefits delivery, emergency response, permitting, talent, data, procurement, and customer experience. Built in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute, the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University, and New America. Nonpartisan by design. Informed, authored, and curated by more than 100 people who have delivered in state, federal, and local government.
Once gubernatorial transitions begin, Tech Talent delivers tailored briefings, discovery sprints, and working sessions broadly and in target states. Each engagement is based on the new governor’s priorities, the state’s existing data capacity, current technology and data leadership gaps, and the specific challenges the administration will face under new federal requirements.
Tech Talent activates an 11,000-plus technologist network and a decade of government experience to match senior technology leaders with in-house state roles. This includes chief technology officers, chief information officers, chief data officers, chief AI officers, and chief privacy officers, as well as senior engineers, designers, and product managers. Tech to Gov hiring events and TELI provide direct pipeline support.
Tech Talent prepares both states and technology leaders for transition, provides active support through the first months in role, and offers ongoing coaching and community connections. New leaders are connected with peers who have navigated similar roles in other states. This is what turns individual placements into a movement.
Track record
Tech Talent Project has supported technology leadership in government transitions since 2020.
The 2020 Federal Memos for a Tech Transition engaged more than 80 expert stakeholders. Co-chaired by Nicole Wong, former Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and John Bailey, former Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy under President George W. Bush, the work brought together contributors across party lines including Lanhee Chen, former Senior Counselor to the Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services; Garrett Johnson, former Professional Staff to the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee; DJ Patil, former U.S. Chief Data Scientist; and Robert Shea, former Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The memos covered nine agencies. The methodology was validated at scale and across party lines.
The 2022 State Memos for a Tech Transition took the next step and engaged nearly 140 nonprofit, government, and technical leaders. Co-chaired by John Bailey and Cecilia Munoz, former Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama, the work demonstrated that this approach produces results regardless of political context.
To date, Tech Talent Project has supported 30 states via one of our programs.
Interested in learning more?
State government leaders
Already thinking about your state's technology and talent strategy for 2027? Let's talk about how these findings apply to your specific context.
Funders and partners
If you are investing in state government capacity, the talent and capacity for AI readiness, or the future of public service, we would welcome a conversation about where our work connects to yours.
Resources
2027 State Memos for a Tech Transition
Final memos will be published in October 2026.