The Commonwealth of Massachusetts delivers resident-facing programs through a network of secretariats and agencies, where outcomes like early education, workforce readiness, and public benefits often depend on coordination across multiple parts of government. That reality makes data sharing indispensable. However, it also raises the stakes around trust, privacy, and compliance.

In this second part of a three-part interview series, Karthik Yajurvedi, Chief Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, speaks with Adita Karkera, Chief Data Officer for Deloitte’s Government and Public Services, about why secure data sharing matters for cross-agency analytics, why it must be trusted and compliant, how Massachusetts is enabling sharing through modern platforms and formal agreements, and what that looks like in practice through production use cases.

In the first part, Yajurvedi discussed how the Massachusetts CDO function was structured within the state government.

Why data sharing matters in government

Yajurvedi frames data sharing as the backbone of analytics that can actually work across the government. In his view, the need is structural: most programs and services that affect residents span multiple agencies, which means no one organization holds the full story on its own.

“The program or services offered to the residents of the state are not restricted to one agency, most of the time. Each agency has a part of the puzzle, but they don’t have the full picture.”

That fragmentation creates a barrier to insight unless agencies can bring data together in a curated, analytics-ready way so policymakers can make operational decisions based on a more complete view.

He emphasizes that this is not optional if the goal is delivering an “entire slew of services” that residents need.

Why sharing has to be secure

When asked specifically about secure data sharing, Yajurvedi draws a direct line between security, trust, and the obligations the government has to residents: “If the data is not shared in a trusted or accessible way, it’s going to pose a compliance risk.”

He lays out the consequences plainly: compliance breaches, erosion of trust, and a breakdown of core values, such as privacy, ethics, and equity, among others.

In other words, the Commonwealth’s ability to use data to improve services depends on maintaining safeguards that protect residents and preserve legitimacy.

Further, Yajurvedi describes how Massachusetts is setting up the mechanics of sharing such as investing in modern data platforms so that agencies can collaborate without needing to constantly relocate data across systems.

Once agencies decide to share, he says, the process is designed to be straightforward, provided the legal and governance groundwork is in place.

Mission problems that move to production

Highlighting concrete examples of how secure data sharing and collaboration between secretariats solve mission-critical problems, Yajurvedi points to initiatives already running in production.

The team is currently advancing at least half a dozen cross-agency use cases, two of which have already been deployed into production.

The first example is ECIDS (Early Childhood Integrated Data System) — an initiative that connects multiple secretariats around early childhood outcomes.

The focus is on children from birth to five, with agencies trying to determine whether programs are actually meeting needs.

The second example is Learn to Earn (LTE), which Yajurvedi describes as a coordinated effort spanning multiple secretariats — linking human services, workforce, education, and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). He characterizes LTE as a comprehensive approach aimed at helping unemployed or underemployed residents find and keep jobs.

Beyond what is already live, Yajurvedi points to additional cross-agency initiatives underway.

These include efforts to ensure that citizens transitioning into employment can continue receiving the benefits they need, without added friction or administrative setbacks for them or their families. He also references a land-related use case currently in progress.

“There are a lot of high-impact use cases within the state that are possible only through secure data sharing and collaboration,” Yajurvedi concludes.

CDO Magazine appreciates Karthik Yajurvedi for sharing his insights with our global community.