2025 ORBIE CIO of the Year · Minnesota
Award-winning public-sector CIO. Former Microsoft. I modernized $23B+ in systems for the State of Minnesota, and today lead technology as CIO of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency — where failure isn't an option and I write the RockStar IT playbook behind every decision most leaders face alone.
About
I'm Rudi Mohamed — a public-sector CIO leading technology transformation where the stakes are real and the systems can't afford to fail. Over fifteen years in government IT — and a tour at Microsoft — I modernized $23B+ in systems for the State of Minnesota. Today I serve as CIO of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, where I oversee the systems managing $7B+.
I was honored as 2025 ORBIE CIO of the Year for work modernizing systems most leaders would rather leave alone — the high-consequence, highly regulated infrastructure the public depends on. I write about the leadership playbooks behind that work in The RockStar IT Leader Handbook and on my Substack, The Digital Edge.
My focus now is simple: help organizations modernize the systems that can't fail — and help the leaders responsible for them lead with clarity, confidence, and a clear technical edge.
Work with me
I work with select organizations and executives at the intersection of public-sector mission and modern technology.
Hands-on leadership for agencies and enterprises modernizing mission-critical, regulated systems. Strategy through execution — roadmaps, governance, vendor strategy, and the change management that determines whether transformation sticks.
Let's talkFor tech companies pursuing public-sector clients — AWS, Salesforce, Microsoft and the mid-market. I help GTM teams translate enterprise capability into government outcomes and close where credibility is the gatekeeper.
Let's talkKeynotes, panels, and advisory boards on public-sector transformation, AI governance, and the leadership required to modernize systems that can't fail. I bring the operator's view, not the pundit's.
Let's talkWhat I write about
My writing and advisory converge on three lanes — built from fifteen years of public-sector leadership, not borrowed from the zeitgeist.
The differentiator. Leadership, career, and personal branding for the IT leader who refuses to be invisible — codified in the book.
The credibility moat. Modernizing mission-critical, public-sector systems where failure isn't an option — a lane few peers own.
The freshness driver. Timely, pragmatic takes on AI, security, and the technology shifts leaders can't afford to misread.
The book
Part field manual, part manifesto, The RockStar IT Leader Handbook gives technology leaders the playbook to lead with authority, build the brand, and modernize the systems everyone else is afraid to touch. The same framework behind a 2025 ORBIE CIO of the Year career.
