Congratulations to all of our California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Information Technology (IT) Services Division award recipients and teams recognized at the 2026 CIO Academy Awards! Your dedication, expertise, and leadership continue to drive progress across the agency.
Yesterday evening, CDFA’s IT division was proud to share an extraordinary moment of recognition at the culmination of the two-day California Public Sector CIO Academy 2026 held at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento, California.
This year’s event highlighted some of the most impactful public sector technology leaders and teams across the state, and California’s agriculture state agency–stood out with multiple awards recognizing leadership, innovation, cybersecurity advancement, and service excellence.
“Congratulations IT team! I am so proud of Fred and our entire CDFA IT office. Since his appointment in June 2024, Fred has led significant IT transformations for the Agency and the Division he oversees, guided by his vision, innovation, leadership, and collaboration. Fred led the effort to transfer an essential IT contract from an outside department and DGS to CDFA, as the current contract was about to expire. These achievements represent far more than awards — they reflect our agency’s commitment to enabling better services for California’s agricultural community, including collaboration across teams and divisions, innovation in solving complex technology challenges, strong cybersecurity and operational resilience, and public service driven by our mission,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross.
A Landmark Year for CDFA IT
CDFA IT received an exceptional set of honors, including:
- CIO of the Year for CDFA Agency CIO Fredrick Gomez
- Two California IT Team Leadership Awards
- Two Individual Leadership Awards
“These recognitions reflect not only individual excellence but the collective strength, collaboration, and commitment of CDFA’s technology workforce in advancing the department’s mission,” said Fredrick Gomez, CDFA’s Agency Chief Information Officer and Director of the Information Technology Services Division.
CIO of the Year: Leadership Driving Transformation
Deputy State Chief Information Officer and Chief Deputy Director, Department of Technology State of California
Under his leadership, CDFA has accelerated critical transformation efforts, including:
- Replacing legacy systems
- Strengthening cybersecurity across the department
- Driving cost-effective modernization through strategic licensing and cloud initiatives
- Supporting enterprise-wide system upgrades and mission-critical implementations
Fredrick has also championed key initiatives that improved service delivery efficiency and positioned CDFA for long-term digital resilience. His leadership continues to foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and “One Team” collaboration across the organization.
“With Fred’s leadership, CDFA has achieved transformative advancements in technology and operational efficiency. His visionary leadership has driven major initiatives that advance digital transformation, strengthen cybersecurity, and enhance service delivery,” said Arima Kozina, Deputy Secretary of Administration and Finance. “His accomplishments reflect the qualities of a forward-thinking, results-driven IT executive dedicated to advancing California public sector IT excellence.”
IT Team Excellence: Strengthening Security and Modernization
Agency Information Security Office (ISO)
Application Development Support Section (ADSS)
Individual Excellence Recognized Across ITSD
