After serving for three years as chief information officer of the Peace Corps, in 2002 Gopal Khanna joined the White House as chief financial officer of the Executive Office of the President. In August 2005, Khanna signed on as Minnesota’s first chief information officer, leading the new Office of Enterprise Technology. He was reappointed in January 2007.
"I learned that, contrary to what
people think about bureaucracy, people in the public sector are very well
meaning. They want to serve and make a difference.
"There is a lot of talent in the public sector: people who, for one reason or another, have decided to apply their knowledge and energy for the public good. They could be making a lot more money in the private sector, but they choose to sacrifice financial benefit in order to contribute to programs and institutions that serve citizens. I don’t know that they even consider it a sacrifice. Their choice reflects their values.
"The public sector is structurally very different than the private sector. Both the private and the public sectors have extensive governance structures, but I think the public sector demands additional levels of accountability.
"Accountability in the public sector requires more consideration because it is about serving citizens who are both the customers and, by virtue of being taxpayers, are also the funders of the operation. It requires us to provide the highest value for the lowest cost in a thoughtful, open, and transparent environment."
