CIOs On the Move for December 17, 2010

USPS Hires New CIO, Three Insurance Companies Get New Tech Execs

In the last few weeks the U.S. Postal Service hired a CIO from within, and three insurance companies landed new technology executives. Read on about these and other recent CIO moves

The United States Postal Service (USPS) earlier this month announced the appointment of Ellis Burgoyne as its CIO and executive vice president. Burgoyne takes charge of all systems and data management for USPS, and is also tasked with helping develop new products while fully leveraging the service’s network, according to USPS officials.

Burgoyne has held a number of positions with USPS throughout his career. Most recently he served as vice president of operations for the southwest area, where he was the senior postal official for a five-state region including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. In this capacity he was responsible for all postal operations, including mail processing and distribution, as well as customer service and administrative operations, according to officials. Burgoyne began his career as a letter carrier in Inglewood, Ca.

In his new role Burgoyne reports to the Postmaster General, officials said

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company recently announced that Michael Healy has taken the position of CIO, reporting to senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer Richard Silver. As CIO, Healy is responsible for taking charge of the company’s systems strategy, including the company’s technology infrastructure, application development, and corporate architecture, according to company officials. Healy, who joined AXA Equitable in 2006, previously served as senior vice president at March & McLennan, and held a number of management positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“Mike embodies the qualities that are important to being a successful CIO,” said Silver. “His strong leadership and strategic planning skills, and strong commitment to collaboration and teamwork, has earned him the respect of IT colleagues and business partners alike.”

AXA Equitable provides life insurance and annuity and investment products to individuals and business owners.

Aetna earlier this month announced that Michael Mathias has become vice president and CIO, reporting to Meg McCarthy, the company’s executive vice president. Mathias, who has served as the Aetna’s CTO since 2008, will be charged with leading the company’s innovation efforts and implementing its long-term technology strategy, according to company officials.

“Aetna recognizes that the landscape of health care is changing and that technology will play an ever-increasing role in the future,” said McCarthy. “Michael Mathias is highly regarded in the industry for his strong technical knowledge and he has the skills and health care experience to lead Aetna Information Services (AIS) going forward. Michael and I have worked very closely for the past several years and I am delighted that he has agreed to take on this new role.”

Aetna provides health care benefits including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans to customers such as employer groups, health plans, and individuals.

The Boy Scouts of America announced earlier this week the appointment of Ron Tozzie as CIO, responsible for developing a new technology vision for the group.

We are excited to have Ron join us as CIO and we look forward to his insight and direction in putting technology best practices in place to help shape the future of the BSA, said deputy chief scout executive and COO Wayne Brock. It's an exciting time as we continue to innovate and bring more value for our Scouts, parents, volunteers, and local councils across America, and Ron will play a key role in that mission.

Tozzie most recently worked for Perot Systems (acquired by Dell) where he was a specialist in business and IT strategy development. His experience includes working in many industries including retail and defense research, according to Boy Scouts of America officials.

Based in Irving, Texas, Boy Scouts of America has close to 2.8 million member young people and more than 290 councils throughout the country.