Mike Ware was appointed chief information officer the N.C. Department of Information Technology—Transportation in June 2025. In this role, he oversees a team of over 800 employees and contractors, and leads the planning, development and execution of strategic technology initiatives and goals for the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Ware brings a depth of experience and leadership to this role. He joined the N.C. Department of Technology in 2014 and served as chief information officer for the N.C Department of Environmental Quality.
He held several titles in the U.S. Air Force before joining state government, starting as a B-1B avionics technician in 1990.
Ware was later commissioned as a second lieutenant and held several senior IT leadership roles, culminating as director of operations for the 83rd Network Operations Squadron at Langley Air Force Base. There, he oversaw more than 600 cyber professionals and led network operations supporting over 850,000 airmen worldwide. He was also deployed to Bosnia and Iraq, where he directed IT operations under complex, high-pressure conditions, working with a wide range of international partners to meet critical mission needs.
Ware holds a Master of Business Administration from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from National American University. He completed the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.