I-Sah Hsieh, a veteran private-sector executive, will be responsible for establishing and overseeing the state’s AI governance and framework for NCDIT and state agencies.
A 20-year staffer at SAS, he has served as its principal social innovation manager for nearly eight years and will join the state March 31, Lisa Crawley, NCDIT external communications manager, said via email. The agency published the state’s AI framework in August.
Hsieh “will ensure the ethical, transparent and accountable integration of AI technologies into public services to support innovation while managing associated risks,” Crawley said. “From leading and crafting governance structures that prioritize ethics and security, he will directly impact how technology serves the state’s residents, businesses and visitors.”
He has been with SAS since 2004 according to LinkedIn, where he describes his longtime role as being an “evangelist for SAS’ corporate social innovation initiatives,” including being responsible for GatherIQ. It is a data-driven app designed to familiarize and connect the international community with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition to advising the United Nations and other large corporate entities, he has worked with North Carolina’s Department of Revenue, its Emergency Management division, state universities, nonprofits and local agencies.
Hsieh’s impending arrival is the latest leadership change this year at NCDIT. Teena Piccione, a global transformation and operations executive at Google, became state CIO following the retirement Dec. 31 of then-CIO James Weaver. In February, the state’s inaugural Chief Privacy Officer Cherie Givens stepped down.
Earlier this month, cybersecurity professional and nonprofit security leader Bernice Bond was named North Carolina state CISO; she’ll lead the Enterprise Security and Risk Management Office, a part of NCDIT. Also this month, the department appointed Annette Taylor to serve as deputy secretary for the agency’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity. She had been director of the state Office of Digital Opportunity.
