Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is assembling a new state technology team, a step that signals her administration intends to treat digital services and IT modernization as a central part of how state government operates.
The move, reported by Virginia Scope, places technology alongside the more traditional priorities that dominate a governor’s first year in office. While details about the team’s size, structure and reporting lines will shape how much influence it ultimately carries, the creation of a dedicated group suggests the administration wants specialized talent working across agencies rather than siloed inside them.
Why states are building tech teams
Virginia is not alone in the effort. Over the past decade, a growing number of states have created internal digital service units â small teams of engineers, designers, product managers and data specialists who work with agencies to fix websites, streamline applications for public benefits, retire aging systems and reduce reliance on expensive outside contracts. The model borrows from the federal government’s digital service offices and from similar units in states that have tried to bring software expertise in-house.
The appeal is straightforward. State governments run some of the most consequential software in residents’ lives: unemployment insurance systems, Medicaid enrollment portals, motor vehicle registration, tax filing, professional licensing and public records requests. Many of those systems were built decades ago and have been patched repeatedly. When they fail â or when demand spikes, as it did across the country during the pandemic â the consequences land directly on residents waiting for benefits or approvals.
A centralized technology team can also serve as a check on procurement. Large IT contracts are among the most expensive and highest-risk purchases a state makes, and projects that run over budget or behind schedule are a recurring feature of state audits. Having in-house technical expertise gives agencies a better shot at writing realistic requirements and holding vendors accountable.
What to watch in Virginia
Several questions will determine whether the new team becomes a durable fixture or a short-lived initiative.
- Authority. Teams that sit close to the governor’s office, with a mandate to review major projects, tend to have more leverage than advisory groups without budget or oversight power.
- Funding. Standing up technical talent requires money, and salaries for experienced engineers and product staff often sit well above typical state pay bands. How the team is financed â through existing agency budgets, a dedicated appropriation, or fee-for-service arrangements with agencies â will matter.
- Scope. Some state teams focus narrowly on high-visibility website and application redesigns. Others take on cybersecurity, data sharing, or the emerging question of how and whether agencies should use artificial intelligence tools.
- Legislative buy-in. Virginia’s General Assembly controls appropriations and has its own history of scrutinizing state IT spending, so lawmakers will have a say in the team’s long-term footing.
Virginia has a substantial technology sector, particularly in Northern Virginia, and the state has long marketed itself as a hub for data centers, cybersecurity and federal contracting. That proximity to industry talent could help with recruiting, though public-sector salaries remain a persistent obstacle for states competing with private employers.
For residents, the practical test will be simpler than any org chart: whether interacting with Virginia state government â renewing a license, applying for assistance, filing a form â becomes faster and less frustrating over the course of the administration. Read More
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