In this episode, Rachel Clark, CIO of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), shares her remarkable journey of transforming a system plagued by outages into a streamlined and stable operation. With candid reflections, Rachel discusses the challenges of inheriting a 20-year-old ERP system, navigating state leadership transitions, and managing a critical IT budget larger than any revenue she had encountered in her previous roles.

Rachel highlights how she prioritized people and processes over technology to drive change, including the creation of talent cards, mapping workflows, and introducing a robust change management and code red process. Through these initiatives, Rachel stabilized the system, introduced automation to eliminate errors in deployment, and led the organization to adopt agile methodologies to prioritize high-value projects effectively.

For leaders facing high-pressure environments and complex IT systems, Rachel’s story is a masterclass in resilience, data-driven decision-making, and fostering a culture of trust and accountability.