Courtesy of Yale School of Mangement
Newly elected Gov. Ned Lamont SOM ’80 has tapped a fellow graduate of the School of Management to lead the state’s Department of Administrative Services.
On Friday, Lamont announced the nomination of Josh Geballe ’97 SOM ’02 to the post of commissioner of the agency, which oversees state government functions including information technology infrastructure, the design and construction of state facilities, statewide human resources and debt collection. Geballe will take up the post as commissioner-designate by March 1, and the Connecticut General Assembly will vote on the nomination in the coming months.
“I see opportunity to have a significant impact for our state at an important time, and I was honored to accept the invitation to serve,” Geballe wrote in an email to the News. “The Department of Administrative Service has wide ranging responsibilities for the business functions of the government and I’m looking forward to digging in on all of them.”
A graduate of both Yale College and the School of Management, Geballe made his first major step into the world of politics at age 23, when he ran for state senate against the Republican incumbent, former Sen. William Aniskovich, R-Branford. After losing the race, he spent more than a decade working as a vice president for IBM. Geballe then led Core Informatics — a software startup headquartered in his hometown of Branford.
After Thermo Fisher Scientific — a scientific technology company — bought Core Informatics in 2017, Geballe worked as vice president and general manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific. In November, he was elected to the board of directors of the state’s largest business lobby — the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Building on almost two decades of experience in the business world, Geballe returned to the School of Management this semester as a lecturer and teaches a course called “Scaling Up Practicum.”
“I have seen first hand the benefits of modern software and data analytics, in the hands of well trained users, to improve the world around us,” Geballe said.
Geballe added that he was particularly interested in improving the state’s internet technology, human resources and procurement functions.
During the ceremony announcing the nomination at the State Capitol on Friday, Lamont praised Geballe’s experience in the field and noted the importance of the Department of Administrative Services. He said the Department makes an “incredible” impact on how the state can streamline services, and ensure a good customer experience for constituents accessing various state services.
“Josh is an extraordinary candidate for what we’re trying to do,” Lamont said.
The position pays $175,000 — more than the salaries for other top posts in the administration, such as chief of staff or general counsel.
Geballe’s predecessor under former Gov. Dannel Malloy was Melody A. Currey, who was appointed in 2015. She was the Mayor of East Hartford from 2005 to 2011 and also held positions such as Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and Deputy Speaker of the Connecticut House.
During his policy summit in late November, Lamont assigned one of his 15 working groups to focus on the new administration’s digital strategy.
The committee centered its proposals around goals to modernize digital delivery, unleash data to drive results and to break down silos and become “outcome-obsessed.” The policy group’s memo said that reducing the state’s budget will require innovation and a systems change in Hartford.
“To prosper and advance while weathering the storms ahead, CT must become one of the nation’s most cost-efficient, data-informed, results-driven states,” the policy group’s memo read.
Geballe will turn 44 this week.
Nathalie Bussemaker | nathalie.bussemaker@yale.edu .