Meet the Team
Robert McGough was appointed as Chief Data Officer in March 2023. McGough’s goal is to grow data and analytic capacity and communities of practice for the sharing, integration, and analysis of data in support of improved policy decisions and operations. He has over 20 years of experience in data management and analytics, supporting public sector entities with the Division of Information Systems. He served as lead author on the Feasibility and Cost Study on the Development of a Statewide Data Warehouse Program and as the state’s technical liaison with the White House OMB for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
McGough holds an M.S. in Information Quality and has completed the UALR Institute for Chief Data Officers, the ASU Six Sigma Black Belt, and the Coleridge Initiative Applied Data Analytics programs, along with numerous credentials in data and analytics. He is currently an Information Science Ph.D. candidate conducting research to advance the field of longitudinal data analysis. He also serves on the Governor’s Technology Advisory Board and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) IT committee.
Jennifer Davis was appointed as Arkansas’ first Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) at the Division of Information Systems in June 2018. She is an Arkansas native with a background in information technology, specifically database and applications development. Davis graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and also holds a Master of Science from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Davis holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/U.S. Government (CIPP/G) credential through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She also serves as the Co-Chair of the Privacy and Data Protecting Working Group of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). Before her appointment as the State’s first Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), Davis served as a staff attorney for the Arkansas Department of Education.
Duties of the Chief Data Officer
1. Provide master data management by facilitating standardization, deduplication, sharing, and integrating critical data between systems and state departments.
2. Promote efficient data management by developing an integrated set of specifications and documents that define the blueprint for managing data resources.
3. Promote data quality by: (a) applying data quality management concepts and practices that include policies; measurement; process improvement; and education; and (b) leveraging data warehouse, business intelligence, and master data management solutions;
4. Promote high-quality data governance by: (a) exercising authority, control, and decision-making over the management of data assets; and (b) introducing accountability for data asset management through formalized data stewardship;
5. Support open data exchanges that: (a) facilitate standardized access to data within, between, or outside systems or state departments; and (b) establish a data catalog of data housed, maintained, and utilized by each state department;
6. Utilize business intelligence that includes embedded business intelligence and advanced analytics that maximize the value of data in the state to facilitate access to and the analysis of data; and
7. Direct and oversee the Data and Transparency Panel.
Duties of Chief Privacy Officer
1. Ensure all state departments comply with federal and state laws governing the privacy and access to protected data.
2. Assure technology use does not erode privacy protections relating to the use, collection, and disclosure of personal information.
3. Review regulatory proposals and procedures involving the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.
