Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed Andrea Fletcher to lead the new Virginia Digital Service, a team tasked with modernizing state technology, improving digital services, and strengthening oversight of IT investments.
The team will bring together engineers, designers, and other technical experts to work on state systems, websites, and technology procurement, according to a Sept. 8 press release from the governor’s office.
Spanberger proposed creating the Digital Service through an amendment to Virginia’s bipartisan budget after the state lost $52 million on an unsuccessful effort to replace an aging child support enforcement system.
The failed project sought to modernize the Department of Social Services’ Automated Program to Enforce Child Support system, which is used to locate parents, establish parentage, enforce child support orders, and provide customers with access to case information and payments. The modernization effort ran from 2023 to 2025 before the department ended it after significant problems.
“State government should work for the people it serves – and that means making sure Virginians can access the services they need quickly, easily, and reliably,” Spanberger said.
“I am excited to appoint Andrea Fletcher to serve Virginians in this new position,” she added. “Under her leadership, the Virginia Digital Service will bring together expert technical talent to modernize state systems, improve government websites, and speed up the delivery of the services that families rely on every day.”
Fletcher previously served as the first chief digital strategy officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she led the agency’s digital service team and established its Open Source Program Office. She entered government through the U.S. Digital Service in 2021 and has experience in federal health IT policy, artificial intelligence governance, and global health systems.
“Virginians should have an expectation that government services be intuitive and easy to use,” Fletcher said. “I’m excited to help deliver on that goal for the people of the Commonwealth and demonstrate that government can build great technology.”
