Building Trust, Not Turnover: Jason Frame's Guide to Public Sector IT

In This Episode

Jason Frame begins by outlining the expansive responsibilities of the Southern Nevada Health District, from inspecting restaurants and regulating ambulances to delivering immunizations and managing public health labs. As the lead technology officer, Jason's team not only enabled operations during the COVID-19 crisis but also modernized how services were delivered under extraordinary pressure. He shares how IT became a vital force during the pandemic, earning its place at the executive table.

Jason walks through his unconventional path into leadership, beginning as a kid coding BASIC on a green screen. His career evolved from grocery store scanner installs to software engineering roles with the Department of Energy and Department of Defense contractors. After joining the health district as a programmer analyst, he boldly volunteered to take on the IT manager role as an interim, despite being told he lacked the experience. That leap, combined with strong performance, led to a permanent promotion and ultimately to the CIO title.

Throughout the conversation, Jason offers candid insight into what it takes to earn trust across departments. He discusses how he consciously reframed himself from "the IT guy" to a strategic leader by focusing on finance, HR, and operations. His MBA helped bridge that gap, but his ability to speak in business terms rather than technical jargon made the difference. He also outlines the unique dynamics of working in government and how to stay agile in a unionized, rules-driven environment.

Finally, Jason details the district’s use of AI in everything from predicting patient no-shows to automating public call responses. He explains why they have not yet rolled out Microsoft Copilot, citing the need to classify and clean up legacy data before enabling powerful AI tools. Jason's approach is both practical and forward-thinking, offering a roadmap for how to responsibly integrate AI without compromising privacy or security.