Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that Thomas Parrish IV will be named Acting Secretary of the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NC DIT). Parrish will fill the role held by Tracy Doaks, who Cooper announced would depart at the end of July to lead a non-profit dedicated to broadband expansion in rural areas.
“The state of North Carolina relies on our IT resources now more than ever. Thomas Parrish’s experience as an IT leader and educator prepares him to lead NC DIT as the agency supports our state workforce in all 100 counties, both in the office and remote. His work as Chief Deputy has earned the trust of state government, and he will do work hard to protect our state from cyber threats.”
Parrish is an Information Technology (IT) leader with more than 27 years of proven success in varying levels of state and local government. His previous work has required strategic planning, resource management, efficiency and customer service skills while honing his collaboration and project management skills.
Currently, he is serving at NC DIT as Deputy Chief Information Officer, leading the Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS) Division, which provides mission critical infrastructure services. Parrish also serves on the faculty at Edgecombe Community College teaching Information Technology courses including IT management, application development, network operating systems and aerial remote sensing.
Previously, he served as Deputy State Chief Information Officer focusing on several Council of State agencies’ budget and management of IT resources, Chief Information Officer at the Department of Cultural Resources (DCR) and leadership roles at several community colleges advancing IT learning.
Parrish earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from N.C. Central University, in addition to holding a PMP and Lean Six Sigma certifications and an FAA Certified Drone Pilot license.
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