The appointment comes after the resignation of former CIO Peter Quinn in December, following controversy surrounding his involvement with the open source community at a time when the switch was still under debate. Though fervent in his belief that he had done little wrong, and backed by his employers, Mr Quinn resigned as not to become a distraction to the reform.
Mr Quinn was one of the principal advocators of the switch and many had feared that his resignation from the post would either slow or halt the transition.
The swift appointment of Louis Gutierrez in his place has been taken as a sign of Massachusetts commitment to the process.
