A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
An employee in the state Bureau of Information and Technology has been promoted to commissioner of the bureau, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden announced Thursday.
Mark Wixon serves as the director of agency application support with the bureau. He previously worked at Black Hills Energy for 28 years before working with the state.
Rhoden said in a news release he believes Wixon will provide “meaningful, strategic insight” to the position.
The bureau manages information and technology-related needs in state government, such as operating the state’s data center, providing cybersecurity training and awareness, and offering support services to other agencies. The bureau also includes South Dakota Public Broadcasting. The bureau’s annual budget is $88 million, and it has 390.5 full-time equivalent positions.
Wixon joined the bureau last year.
“My career in IT has been driven by the philosophy that innovative technology solutions can drive positive outcomes and enhance business performance,” Wixon said in the news release. “I look forward to continuing this mission and achieving great results for the agencies which serve this great state.”
South Dakota’s former BIT commissioner Madhu Gottumukkala left recently to serve as the deputy director of U.S. Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, under former South Dakota governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
