2023 CFO of the Year: Kevin Wilson

  • Comments
  • Print
Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
This audio file is brought to you by
0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
  • 0.25
  • 0.50
  • 0.75
  • 1.00
  • 1.25
  • 1.50
  • 1.75
  • 2.00

(IBJ photo/Eric Learned)

Chief Financial Officer | Indiana Office of Technology

Kevin Wilson has worked for the state of Indiana for 16 years and been in his current position since 2019. His role is to develop strategies and financial models to ensure the office delivers cost-effective services to partner agencies. In that role, he leads the Indiana Office of Technology’s fiscal team, strategic workforce development team, legal team, project success center, IT director team, enterprise resource planning team and the local government programs team. He helps maintain a $218 million annual budget and more than 600 staff members to support the enterprise. 

Major accomplishments
He created the budget, rates calculation and chargeback models currently used at the Indiana Office of Technology. “The implementation of a formal budget model has saved the state $224 million over the past 16 years,” he said. The Local Government Programs team, which he oversees, has hosted 50 community meetings with representatives from all 92 counties and presented at more than a dozen local-government-oriented conferences and numerous city and county council meetings. “The success of the local government program, which offers domains, websites, payment processing, authentication, office productivity suite, and cybersecurity training, is astounding,” the office said in Wilson’s nomination.

Challenges overcome
Setting rates for the chargeback model is an annual challenge, he said. “IOT must continually balance the increasing cost of technology with our mission to provide cost-effective, secure, consistent, reliable enterprise-technology services and products to its partner agencies so they can better serve Hoosier taxpayers,” Wilson said. Another challenge has been the consolidation of multiple teams under the CFO. The role expanded from managing the agency’s fiscal strategies to include providing executive leadership to multiple teams within the agency. 

Career path
Wilson said he’s always been interested in finance. He spent the first 10 years of his career in local banking as a loan officer and branch manager. He left banking to pursue a career in finance and spent the next three years as a budget administrator at Citizens Gas, where he managed a $540 million budget. From there, he spent time at United Airlines, then at Redcats USA. Sixteen years ago, he started with the Indiana Office of Technology and has held various roles there since.•

Check out more CFO honorees.

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In