Shhh! Governor hires ‘Innovation Stakeholder Change Manager’ in secret

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Meet Jason Schneider, the State of Alaska’s newest member of the Walker Administration. His job title is “Innovation Stakeholder Change Manager.”

You’ve not heard of this? It’s kind of a secret.

Schneider, a surfer originally from California, was over the winter hired away from his job as the executive director of the Marquette, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, where he worked for the past three years. Marquette is a small town on the shore of Lake Superior, population 21,000.

In addition to starting the Chamber of Commerce there, he has also been a wedding and event photographer for 17 years. He has run a coffee shop and he likes rock climbing. Schneider has a B.S. in economics from Northern Michigan University.

Schneider announced he was leaving his Michigan job in February, and the local Marquette media reported it at the time, but he would not reveal to them where he was moving to or what the new job was. It was a secret.

In an interview in March with a Marquette blog, he said his duties were still being worked out, but he still wasn’t ready to say where he was going. It was still confidential — he couldn’t talk about it.

Last week, word was out in Marquette: He had been hired by the State of Alaska as the chief “innovation stakeholder change manager officer,” with his start-date in May.

Must Read Alaska has submitted a public records request for his duties, chain of command, and pay. He’s stationed in Juneau in the Department of Administration and he’s clearly enjoying his life in Juneau so far, according to social media. But it’s only been a couple of weeks in the belly of the beast that is state bureaucracy.

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz also hired a change agent in his administration. Brendan Babb is the municipality’s “Chief Innovation Officer.”

The role of Chief Innovation Officer is a new thing in bureaucracies, but it’s clearly trending. Usually the role is associated with technological advancements and how to modernize data systems.

[Read: Chief Innovation Officers in State and Local Government in the GovTech blog]

7 COMMENTS

  1. Oh SNAP! Another job for NONALASKANS….$$$$$$
    THANKS….AGAIN,
    …. MR. GOVERNOR WALKER!
    ALWAYS KEEPING “YOUR OWN PRIVATE OUT OF STATE HIRE LIST!
    DON’T SAY ALASKANS DON’T
    WANT TO WORK!!!
    MANY QUALIFIED…. ALASKANS.
    ALL THESE LIFETIME BENEFITS
    AND RETIREMENTS, AND YOU REHIRE THEM….!!!
    YOUR LIFE SHOULD BE FLOURSHING IN YOUR GREAT SUCCESS’S ON THE BACKS OF UNEMPLOYED ALASKANS WHO WOULD LOVE ANY CHANCE AT
    ANY OF THESE JOBS!! BAD JU JU

  2. Schneider memo to self: Going to Alaska to work for least popular governor seeking re-election in the developed world. Election in November. Budget going up over 13% per year. Wildly unsustainable. Governor lying to voters about it. So stay on top of Change Officer basics such as keeping resume up to date. Don’t buy a house. Earn as many airline miles on state travel as possible. Need not buy winter clothes.

  3. When there is lots of money, grow government. When money is tight, grow government. Oh thats right, they get to tap the fund.

  4. One so hopes that among Governor Dunleavy’s first tasks is firing this bloody parasite and the $145K “senior climate change advisor”.

  5. As a person who profiles and is conscious of my surroundings and of those who occupy within those surroundings it would appear that this gentleman will indeed fit well within the social circles of Juneau.

    I trust he will be renting.

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