Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland announced today the appointments of C.J. Prentiss as the Governor’s Special Representative for Closing the Achievement Gap and Steve Edmonson as the state’s chief information officer.
“C.J. has devoted many years to the pursuit of equitable, affordable and quality education for Ohioans,” Strickland said. “I cannot think of a better or more qualified person to help carry out our Turnaround Ohio plans and make sure each child has an equal chance to achieve their potential and succeed in Ohio.”
Prentiss will serve as a special adviser to the governor on closing the achievement gap and increasing the graduation rates of students with the highest rates of failure, with a focus on African American males. Prentiss will work out of the Ohio Department of Education.
Edmonson will serve as the state’s chief information officer and director of the Office of Information Technology.
“Steve’s skills and years of experience in information technology make him exceptionally suited to manage the state’s critical IT system,” Strickland said. “I believe he has the leadership necessary to keep our vital infrastructure secure and to carry out a practical and common IT strategy across the state agencies.”
In an effort to increase efficiency and coordination, the governor has signed an executive order rescinding OIT’s Cabinet agency status and proposed shifting oversight over it from the Department of Administrative Services to the Office of Budget and Management.
This move is a reflection of the growing role of IT expenditures in driving long-term expenditures, as well as IT’s critical importance to ensuring efficiency and accountability of government operations.
“I believe that this transition will make better use of our state’s resources and technology,” Strickland said. “We will work with OIT, DAS and OBM to make this shift as seamless as possible, and with little disruption to the department and its operations.”
C.J. Prentiss, Governor’s Special Representative for Closing the Achievement Gap
From 1998-2006, Prentiss served as state senator from the 21st District in Cleveland; she was elected minority leader in December 2004. Prentiss was the state representative from the 8th House District from 1991-1998. She is a past elected member of the State Board of Education, where she served from 1985-1990.
Prentiss is also past president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) and founder of its Foundation. She served as an officer on the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and as chair of NBCSL Education committee. She has also received several special recognitions from her work on educational issues.
“We absolutely must direct our attention to closing the achievement gap among the economically advantaged and disadvantage children of Ohio -- the cost of not doing so is too great, not only in the quality of life for each individual but in the cost to our society,” Prentiss said. “It is important to understand that we must use the model of shared responsibility of families and businesses; we must bring together all stakeholders in crafting a shared, committed approach to tackling this issue.”
Prentiss received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Cleveland State University. Prior to public service, Prentiss worked in elementary education, professional development with teachers and was an adjunct assistant professor at Cleveland State University. She has also served as an early literacy expert.
Prentiss is married to Michael Charney, a retired Cleveland teacher, past vice president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, and currently the director of Youth Voices for Economic Justice.
Steve Edmonson, State Chief Information Officer
Most recently, Steve Edmonson worked for Cardinal Health as vice president of Information Technology Business Management from 2003-2005 and as chief information officer and vice president of Information Technology for a division of Cardinal Health from 1997-2003.
Edmonson was also director of Business System Development for Honeywell, Inc. in Morristown, N.J., and CIO of International Operations for Prudential Financial in Newark, N.J. Edmonson’s prior positions include various leadership roles with Massachusetts Mutual, Marriott Corporation, Campbell Soup Company, and Scott Paper Company.
“I look forward to ensuring that we make the best use of the technological resources available to our state for the benefit of all Ohioans,” Edmonson said.
Edmonson earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science management from District of Columbia University and a master’s of business administration from LaSalle University.
Edmonson is married to Barbara Edmonson; they have three sons and three daughters.
The mission of the Office of Information Technology is to optimize the state's information technology infrastructure with the goal of achieving the use of common technology across the executive branch and in doing so provide statewide oversight, leadership, and direction for all activities related to information technologies by coordinating and superintending their use statewide.