Gopal Khanna was appointed Minnesota's first State CIO by Governor Tim Pawlenty on August 15, 2005, and was reappointed January 2, 2007. As State Chief Information Officer, Khanna currently leads the Office of Enterprise Technology, oversees the statewide IT planning and budgeting process, and advises the Governor on state technology issues. Minnesota's Executive Branch spends an estimated $600 million per year on information technology through 66 different agencies with 2400 professional staff.

Since joining the Governor's Cabinet, Khanna has engineered the functioning and structure of a new cabinet-level agency and developed strategic technical and operational plans for the organization. He has developed a new enterprise IT governance structure and, in February 2007, delivered to the legislature the state's first Master Plan for Information Technology. Under his leadership, the state has established the first-ever standards for desktops, servers and storage, and cell phones, negotiating contracts that will save the state over $21 million annually. Khanna has negotiated unprecedented consolidation agreements with key agencies to implement and model appropriate shared and utility services – including networking and data centers. He has also instituted a major program of cultural change focused on collaboration, customer service, and continuous process improvement within the Office of Enterprise Technology and, through cross-agency "SkunkWorks" teams, extending into the enterprise-level environment.

Prior to assuming his position with the State of Minnesota, Khanna served in the administration of President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., from June 2002 through August 2005, and is credited with leading major reforms in the federal government. As the CIO and CFO of the U.S. Peace Corps, he was responsible for the successful implementation of a standardized computing platform for the Peace Corps' 72 posts worldwide; design and implementation of an enterprise architecture program that serves as the framework for the agency's systems modernization strategy; and transformation of financial management systems that resulted in the issuance of the first set of audited financial statements in the agency's 43-year history.

Prior to his leadership role in government, Khanna was in the private sector where he held several corporate senior executive positions. He has a broad-based management background which includes experience in information technology, finance, operations, strategic planning, business development, and consulting.

From 1996 to 2002, Khanna was President and CEO of International Technology Consultants, Inc. From 1990 to 1996, he was with the American Hardware Insurance Group, a Minneapolis-based property and casualty insurance group, where he held several positions including Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Systems, and Vice President of Information Technology and Administration. From 1981 to 1990, he was with the National Council on Compensation Insurance in Boca Raton, Florida, where he held several positions including Director of Operations and Director of Strategic Planning. Prior to that, Khanna lived in New York where he held positions in marketing, sales management, merchandising, and corporate training and development with the MONY Financial Services Group.

Khanna has a long history of civic and charitable involvement. He has served on several professional and community boards and is currently a member of the board of trustees of the Hindu Society of Minnesota. He was recently elected to serve as 2007 Secretary/Treasurer of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). He resides in Edina, Minnesota, with his wife Anjali and two children. Khanna has a B.A. in Economics, Mathematics, and Political Science from Christ Church College in Kanpur, India, and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Maine.