The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is one of the oldest state governments in the U.S., responsible for delivering public services and programs that touch millions of residents across areas like health and human services, transportation, public safety, education, and economic development. Like many large public institutions, it manages complex data across agencies and secretariats amid growing expectations for transparency, modern digital services, and policy-aligned governance.

In this first part of a three-part CDO Magazine 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 his path into the role, the similarities across public and private sector data leadership, and how the CDO function is structured.

Yajurvedi’s route to state government began in engineering before quickly moving into hands-on technology work. With a foundation in electronics and communication engineering and early exposure to software-heavy projects, he started as a software engineer at a large consulting firm. From there, he built a career that spans multiple sectors.

“Every step and each transition has been a series of successes and learnings, and those experiences prepared me to take this job of a CDO,” says Yajurvedi.

Similarities in public and private sector data leadership

When asked what feels most different between public and private sector environments, Yajurvedi begins by highlighting shared ground. In his view, strong CDO leadership depends on the same foundational behaviors regardless of the setting. He points to three core areas:

1. Alignment with the business: The data function can’t be abstract; it has to connect to real problems that matter to the organization.
2. Collaboration: “There isn’t much that can be done without collaboration, or we would end up building things that are not scalable or sustainable.”
3. Communication: Especially for leaders who need to translate data into decisions and trust.

Where the difference shows up: Mission and stakeholders

After naming the common foundations, Yajurvedi draws a clear line between the sectors in how “the business” is defined. In the private sector, he notes, alignment tends to follow revenue, profitability, and shareholder expectations. In government, alignment centers on constituent outcomes and resident experience.

That shift reframes what success looks like and what data and analytics efforts must ultimately serve.

The role of data storytelling

Even with different end goals, Yajurvedi returns to communication as a shared discipline and elevates storytelling as a core leadership capability. It’s not only about explaining dashboards; it’s about crafting an understandable narrative that helps others act with clarity.

“Clear, consistent, and concise communication is critical in both settings, and data storytelling is an essential aspect of a CDO role, to be able to articulate the narrative around what the data is depicting.”

In his framing, data storytelling becomes less of a “nice to have” and more of a functional requirement for alignment, collaboration, and momentum.

How the Massachusetts CDO role is set up

Moving forward, Karkera notes that state CDO roles vary widely in structure, reporting lines, and scope, and Yajurvedi agrees. Within Massachusetts, the CDO reports into the CIO secretariat.”

Yajurvedi explains that the secretary of the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) reports to the governor, and he leads one of Massachusetts’ 11 secretariats. He describes the arrangement as unusual compared to many other states that do not have this structure.

Yajurvedi explains that the CDO function is grounded in state law, with an explicit mandate that spans strategy, governance, standards, and the stewardship of data assets.

“The CDO role rolls into the EOTSS secretariat. And this position was created as part of the general law, Part 1, Title 2, Chapter 70, Section 4A. It’s about the creation and management of the state’s data and analytics strategy and the relative policy standards, guidelines, and guardrails that go with that.”

Further, he lists key operational dimensions of the role, including how the state stores, collects, shares, and retains data and analytical assets.

Yajurvedi concludes by framing cultural maturity as the central objective, achieved through partnerships across government and beyond: “It is to mature the data and analytics culture within the Commonwealth by strongly partnering with the secretariats and the agencies, and also outside of the executive offices with quasi-governments with the higher education institutions, as well as the private sector, to make sure that we create a vibrant data and analytics ecosystem for the state.”

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