My Re-Retirement

JAMES H. DOUGLAS

            GOVERNOR

 

   

State of Vermont

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release:

August 31, 2010

   

Contact:  David M. Coriell

(802) 828-3333

   

Chief Technology Officer Tom Evslin to Retire from State Government

   

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Jim Douglas announced today that Chief Technology Officer Tom Evslin will retire from State Government on September 15. Evslin, 67, was recruited from retirement by Governor Douglas in March of 2009 to be Chief Recovery Officer to oversee Vermont's use of stimulus funds and applications for competitive stimulus grants. When the temporary Office of Economic Stimulus and Recovery finished its job, Evslin was named Chief Technology Officer for the State and has been the Administration's lead on Challenges for Change.

   

"I want to thank Tom for his work on behalf of Vermonters," said Governor Douglas.  "Tom's extraordinary talents were critical as we deployed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money quickly and transparently.  His leadership and broad understanding of the telecommunications world were vital to Vermont's success in obtaining over $250 million in combined stimulus grants for smart grid and broadband expansion – ensuring the funding is in place to follow through on my eState goals of border-to-border high-speed internet access and cell phone coverage."

   

Vermont has been recognized as among the best states in deploying federal stimulus and the $250 million in broadband and the smart grid grant awards places Vermont at the top in per-capita funding in these areas. 

   

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity I had to work for Vermont as part of the Douglas Administration during these difficult times," said Evslin.  "I'm particularly proud of the tremendous creative effort that state employees at all levels made to respond to Challenges for Change and find ways to serve Vermonters more effectively with less money."

   

As the point person for Challenges for Change, Evslin has been coordinating the various efforts to save taxpayer money through increased government efficiency and outcome-based budgeting.  Governor Douglas noted that "Tom's ability to think outside-the-box and envision creative solutions to any problem has made him the ideal fit as state government has had to adjust its approach during the Great Recession."

   

Secretary of Administration Neale Lunderville also praised Evslin for his service to Vermonters.  "Tom has been an integral part of the Governor's team as we juggled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Challenges for Challenges and the enduring impact of the economic downturn on state budgets and the lives of Vermonters.  Tom's work has helped to position Vermont well to rebound from the recession."   

   

Before his first retirement, Tom Evslin and his wife, Mary, founded several successful technology companies and he was one of the pioneers of VoIP technology. Evslin also wrote a novel and a popular blog and he is an inventor on eight granted US patents. In the early eighties, he served as Vermont's Secretary of Transportation under Governor Richard Snelling.  The Evslins live in Stowe. At his request, Evslin worked for minimum wage, which he then returns to the State.

   

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