Will County Gazette

Renowned IT expert Sanjay Gupta played a key role in working through the COVID-19 pandemic by running the U.S. federal government’s pandemic aid portals and helping small businesses during the pandemic’s peak, and now he will be serving the state of Illinois as the new Secretary of the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT).

According to a Thursday report on MyRadiolink.com, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's announcement came through a press release on the governor’s website, saying that Gupta brings invaluable expertise to help the state's technology from his time in the public and private sectors.

“His previous work and vision for enterprise architecture, digital transformation, and user experience make him a vital addition to the agency,” said Pritzker. “I am confident that this team will lead the nation in cybersecurity, service delivery, and user experience.”

Gupta has worked as the Chief Information Officer for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, and he also served as the Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration, where his work allowed for $1 trillion in loans to be processed to get businesses back on their feet following the pandemic. Before his shift into public service, he spent almost two decades as a consultant and analyst in technology companies, including some from Illinois. Gupta also serves as a board member of the federal Technology Modernization Fund.

Gupta has a Bachelor of Science from Punjab Engineering College, a Master of Science from Wayne State University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Gupta thanked Pritzker for the chance to serve the people of Illinois, calling the state his “adopted home.” He and his wife lived in the Chicago suburbs, where they raised their two daughters, for over 20 years.

Pritzker also announced the promotion of Brandon Raigle from acting secretary to deputy secretary. Raigle will work closely with Gupta in several ways to help the agency. As acting secretary, he helped get DoIT upgraded to an A- rating, received various accolades and assisted in upgrading cybersecurity and connected infrastructure forces.