Ontario's new chief digital officer dumps Trump

Trump critic leaves U.S. government digital agency to help Ontario improve online services to citizens

Thestar.com
March 27, 2017
By Rob Ferguson

Is she dumping Trump?

Ontario’s first “chief digital officer, hired to streamline online government services and make them easier to use, has been recruited from a similar U.S. agency started under former president Barack Obama.

Hillary Hartley, who has been critical of President Donald Trump on social media, is leaving her post as deputy executive director of 18F, the digital office of the U.S. government.

Since Trump won on Nov. 8, Hartley has tweeted with hashtags #tinyhands on her account @Hillary, warned of the ill-fated Republican push to repeal Obamacare, said she was “gutted” by Trump’s victory and posted “no. no. no. No. NO.” on election night.

On Feb. 4, after Trump questioned how federal judge could halt his travel ban, she tweeted: “He really has no idea how anything works. My friend who just became a citizen knows more about our government than our POTUS.”

Hartley, a San Francisco native and self-described “nerd” in her Twitter bio, did not mention politics as a factor in her decision to leave 18F for the Great White North in a statement Monday.

“I am so excited to join an incredible team of passionate people, with wicked digital skills, who are working hard to create change and bring user-focused design and internet-era way of working to government,” she wrote.

“Making government services simpler and easier to use will have a huge impact on people’s lives,” added Hartley, who will start work next month.

The government did not reveal her salary, which will be at the deputy minister level, between $205,000 and $311,050.

Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, the cabinet minister responsible for digital government, credited Hartley, for her “tremendous expertise” and noted she beat out more than 400 applicants from around the world.

“Attracting top international talent ... demonstrates that Ontario is where the world comes to work and is a leader in the global movement to transform government services.”

Before joining 18F, Hartley was director of integrated marketing at NIC Inc., which helped state and local governments use Internet-based technologies for services and public engagement.

She will work with various Ontario government ministries to deliver major digital projects, something for which the province has been widely criticized after delays in creating an electronic health records system through eHealth Ontario and problems with the social assistance computer system, known as SAMS.

According to U.S. news reports, 18F has experienced some turnover in recent times.