Josh McGee Maintains State’s Data Plan

Josh McGee, chief data officer for the state of Arkansas.

Josh McGee was named the state’s chief data officer in February. He is also associate director of the Office for Education Policy and a research assistant professor in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. An economist and retirement policy expert, he is the former chairman of the Texas State Pension Review Board and executive vice president at the Laura & John Arnold Foundation. McGee is also a director at the nonprofits MDRC, EdBuild and the Equable Institute.

McGee holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Arkansas.

McGee has played Ultimate Frisbee for more than 20 years and currently serves as president of the Fayetteville Disc Association.

Is this a new position? Why was it created?

The CDO role was created by Act 912 of 2017, and the first person to hold the position was Richard Wang of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The Legislature created the CDO role to help the state take a more strategic approach to data management and use.

As CDO, I plan to leverage this positive momentum to help the state build the long-term capacity to routinely use its data to serve Arkansans more efficiently and effectively.

What are the duties of the state’s chief data officer?

The CDO has several duties enumerated in Act 912. These duties can be placed into three broad categories.

The CDO should help the state 1) develop and maintain high-quality, consistent data across key areas of public policy; 2) securely link and share data across state government and with Arkansas’ citizens; and 3) facilitate data use to improve government services and drive economic development.

How did your background prepare you for this role?

I have worn several hats in my career. I have been a university-based researcher, a government official, and a member of the leadership team at a national philanthropic organization.

A theme running through my work in each of these roles is the importance of having high-quality data to inform decision-making.

As a university-based researcher, I help turn data on K-12 education into actionable public policy insights.

As the chairman of the Texas Pension Review Board, I needed reliable data about pension finances to know whether corrective action was needed to protect pensioners.

And while at the Arnold Foundation, I led a team that invested $50 million in data-driven efforts to improve public policy in six states and Washington, D.C. The strategy paired state governments with dedicated university partners who integrated administrative data and deployed research to help policymakers address persistent challenges. These “policy labs” redirected more than $150 million in taxpayer resources toward more effective uses.

How do you remember all your passwords?

I use a secure password manager that keeps my passwords in an encrypted digital vault. This allows me to choose very strong passwords without having to remember all of them. I also use two-factor authentication on all my accounts where it is available. Two-factor authentication adds an important layer of security that makes it much harder for criminals to hack your accounts.