Pillen announces resignation of cabinet member Matthew McCarville

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s chief information officer, Matthew McCarville, has resigned after serving in the role since 2024. The position is part of Gov. Jim Pillen’s cabinet.

The announcement from the Governor’s Office came the day after the general election where voters reelected Pillen to another four years.

Pillen issued a brief media statement: “Matt has been with the state since 2024. I appreciate his public service in fulfilling the role of CIO. I wish Matt the best as he moves forward with his career.” 

The statement did not provide a reason or a comment from McCarville. 

In a LinkedIn post, McCarville called the return to his home state to lead its technology transformation an “extraordinary privilege” and said his team made “substantial progress.”

He described numerous achievements in the office during his tenure, including further modernizing decades-old systems, reducing reliance on contractors, expanding data analytics and developing statewide cybersecurity (he pointed out the deployment of the National Guard Cyber Protection team for the first time).

For now, McCarville said in the post, he was “enjoying some much needed time with my young family through the holidays and am excited to share where I’m going soon.”

Department of Administrative Services Director Lee Will will serve as interim head of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, a division that is under the DAS purview.

Additional information about filling the vacancy is to be provided later. Will told the Examiner that McCarville’s state service is to conclude in early December and that he will use his accrued vacation time through that date. 

McCarville earned a $262,502 annual salary, according to a public payroll database by Flatwater Free Press. He was not at his state office when a reporter called Thursday, and could not be reached for comment. 

Raised in Omaha and previously an information technology leader at the University of Colorado, McCarville had led the Nebraska information division since Pillen appointed him in April 2024 pending formal legislative approval.

During a July confirmation hearing before a legislative committee, lawmakers questioned McCarville’s ability to remain politically impartial in his government role and with staff and potential contractors. A point of discussion was an email that had been sent on McCarville’s behalf “encouraging” his workforce to participate in a legislative hearing on Pillen’s plan for property tax reduction.

State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln at the time had sent a complaint to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission identifying the email as part of a series of incidents by Pillen, his staff or executive branch that potentially violated state statute by misusing or commingling personal, campaign and public resources.

Even before Conrad and other committee members laid out concerns during the hearing, McCarville apologized for the email, calling it an “accident” and a “mistake.” He said he had asked his assistant to send the message, and didn’t mean to “advise a position.”

The Nebraska Legislature later voted 36-0 to confirm McCarville’s appointment (nine state senators chose not to vote). Conrad at that time said a “rather strange timing” of events clouded earlier discussion of McCarville’s “incredible” educational background and compelling personal story.