WGU Alumni Podcast
WGU’s alumni network now has more than 350,000 graduates living in all 50 states. The WGU alumni podcast highlights the incredible work that our alumni are doing in their local communities. We also share benefits, perks, resources and partner information to help our graduates stay engaged and get the most out of the alumni community.
WGU Alumni Podcast
From Combat to Cabinet — How Nevada’s CIO, Tim Galluzi, is Leading with Purpose
Nevada Chief Information Officer and Marine Corps veteran Tim Galluzi joins us to talk about his journey from combat tours to the cabinet table—and how a WGU MBA in IT Management helped him turn technology into a force for public good. He shares what it took to elevate IT to a cabinet-level department in Nevada, why that move matters for cybersecurity and collaboration, and how he’s building a culture where innovation actually sticks.
Tim also opens up about returning to school later in life, tackling imposter syndrome, and learning to break big modernization projects into small, winnable steps. His story is a reminder that growth doesn’t have to follow a straight line—and that confidence, humility, and the right team can take you farther than you think.
Hey everybody, welcome to the WGU Alumni Podcast. We're thrilled to have you tuning in yet again, everybody. My name is Jeff Burton. I'm the senior manager of alumni engagement here at WGU. This season on the WGU Alumni Podcast, we are talking to people that have discovered it's never too late to invest in themselves and go back to school. And I am super excited to introduce and welcome to the podcast a recently named distinguished graduate here at WGU, and that would be Timothy Galuzzi. Hi, Tim. Welcome to the podcast. Hey, Jeff, thanks for having me. Tim is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and he currently serves as Nevada's chief information officer. And if I have this correctly, at the time of your appointment, Tim, you were the youngest CIO in the country. How did your WGU education prepare you to step into such a high-stakes leadership role?
SPEAKER_00:It really taught me that there was not going to be anything that was going to hold me back, and education wasn't going to hold me back or lack thereof. And it it really proved to me that if I set my mind to something, that I could accomplish it.
SPEAKER_01:So I understand you've had almost two decades of experience in information technology. When did you become the CIO of the state of Nevada?
SPEAKER_00:So I was named the state CIO in Nevada in June of 2022. And so at that point, as you mentioned, I was the youngest state CIO in the nation. And an interesting anecdote there is that the median tenure for state CIOs is only approximately 24 months right now. So I went from one of the youngest state CIOs in the nation to now one of the longest tenured state CIOs in the nation based off of median tenure. So it's definitely been an interesting journey at this point.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. And I understand a couple of years ago in 2023, you helped elevate your agency to a cabinet level status. What motivated that effort and what does that mean for Nevada's future?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, it was an incredibly strategic move. Governor Lombardo, uh, as he was transitioning uh into the governor's office, really identified that IT is a strategic partner and it has to be part of the strategic cabinet level conversations. And so that was a move that his administration uh really pushed for um to to bring the the office of the CIO into the governor's cabinet um because they needed a seat at the table. And IT is uh a business partner uh to the operational departments throughout the uh the state government. Um and that has really helped us guide and and support agencies when it comes to the the efficient and effective use of technology uh within state government in order to better serve our constituents. Um and you know, we're seeing the impacts of that now. Uh when it comes to cybersecurity response, when it comes to efficient use of technology across agencies, um we're building better partnerships, we're building better governance when it comes to technology. And I think that that first major decision when it comes to organizational structure, um, we we're really seeing the the fruits of that that decision now.
SPEAKER_01:That is great. Thank you for sharing all that. Super fascinating. I'm curious if there was an underlying motivation or a reason to go back to school in the first place.
SPEAKER_00:I was I was kind of lost. You know, I didn't I didn't necessarily have a path. Um in my eight years in the Marine Corps, I was I was in telecommunications. And, you know, I like most service members, I I got out having, you know, some semblance of an idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to definitely parlay the experience that I had uh while I was in uniform and and and while I was in the service. I quickly started um kind of going up through the ranks in in state service and and found myself really um thriving in more of the leadership type roles when it comes to technology. When I talk about leadership type roles, I talk about um like project management, project leadership, and and overall leadership, kind of like where business and technology intersect um like the finance side of technology. Um and then I discovered that WGU happened to have a MBA in IT management. Higher education and education in general really acts as the the great equalizer and uh uh an opportunity to really change our outcomes. You know, I was raised in a very small town in in California and we bounced around. I was the middle child of five, and we were told when we were coming up that you know, if you don't find your way to pay for college, you know, you you know, you're not going. And you know, growing up in a household like that, if you didn't if you didn't make the opportunity, you weren't going to get it. Education is is really the opportunity to really write your own story. What held you back from doing it sooner? First and foremost, I spent eight years in the Marine Corps. And you know, with the time that I was in the Marine Corps, I I did two combat tours to Iraq and one tour to Afghanistan. And while some people were were able to pursue higher education while they were in service, I had hats off to those folks. Um, you know, with the deployment tempo that I had, unfortunately, I wasn't able to in engage in in those types of activities. I wasn't the the best student in high school because I thought I I knew my path. I thought I knew where I was going. Um and, you know, maybe I didn't spend as much time on academics that I should have. Um I needed the Marine Corps to kind of wake me up and and really highlight what was important. And uh maybe the Marine Corps did that, or maybe it was my family that did that, that really helped me identify what was important and and what was a priority.
SPEAKER_01:Was there a moment when it clicked for you that you knew it wasn't too late? I think it's never too late.
SPEAKER_00:And and and I think that's the the simplest answer to that question. That you know, when when I was in classes at WGU and and even, you know, taking my MBA capstone and and in my group work, um, we had folks ranging in age from very early 20s, if not uh late teenagers, all the way up to mid to late 40s, all in the same group, all going for the same goal on the same capstone project.
SPEAKER_01:What's something unexpected you gain from your experience?
SPEAKER_00:Other than lack of sleep, um being able to kind of break down incredibly large and complex uh tasks and assignments into small, manageable bites. I know we we we often use the analogy, how do you eat an elephant, right? Small bites, right? And so um, you know, I think that's one of the the ways that I found success with a lot of the the WGU coursework is, you know, if you if you look at the entirety of a course and you look at the entirety of the coursework, it it often looks very significant. But if you look at it chapter by chapter, section by section, it it becomes a little bit more manageable.
SPEAKER_01:Gotcha. Good insight. Can you think of another experience in your life when you realized it was never too late?
SPEAKER_00:I think in my personal life as well, right? Um you know, I think we all have this idea that um, you know, we're gonna we're gonna find the love of our life early. We're going to start our families early and whatnot. But um, I kind of hit the pause button in in service to my country for eight years and you know uh started a little bit later. And, you know, now I've got uh beautiful wife and children, and I I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
SPEAKER_01:I want to look forward for a moment and I I kind of want to get into a little bit of an advice uh section of the podcast. And um, you've had a very successful career in the military, in the IT world, and now in your uh role with the state of Nevada. I'd love to hear about a favorite life hack that's helped you navigate the professional workspace.
SPEAKER_00:I, like a lot of other folks, really suffered with imposter syndrome. And so one of the things that I did was surround myself with folks that really knew what the heck they were talking about, right? But you you have to understand that that is a sign of a good leader, is to surround yourself with folks with experts and to not force yourself in the position where you have to be the expert in the room on everything and to kind of humble yourself to be able to admit that you're not the expert on everything.
SPEAKER_01:If you were to connect with somebody who is wondering if it was too late to go after a dream or to pursue their goals, what advice would you give that individual?
SPEAKER_00:What's stopping you? Um, you know, one of my one of my favorite quotes poems in existence is um the man in the arena. And so what what that talks about, the gist of it is um, you know, it is not for the spectators to judge um what the people that are actually in it are doing. And so be the one that's in it, you know, jump in there, do it, start it. The only person that's holding you back is you. Um, you're the only one that can really change your outcomes, your story, um, your song. So get in there and and and write it.
SPEAKER_01:I want to do just a rapid fire night owl edition, if you will. Um, so I'm just gonna ask you some questions and just fire back the first thing that comes to your mind. All right, are you an early bird or a night owl? Glen for punishment, so both. First thing you do in the morning.
SPEAKER_00:I scroll and catch up on all the news because I'm on the West Coast, so I start getting news feeds from the East Coast.
SPEAKER_01:One word to describe the moment when you completed your WGU degree. Relieved. Favorite late night study snack?
SPEAKER_00:Gotta be something uh salty and crunchy, so maybe like a check'mix.
SPEAKER_01:The most unsung thing about Nevada you wish that people knew. There's a whole lot to Nevada outside of Las Vegas. Uh one key takeaway from your service in the military.
SPEAKER_00:The brotherhood, the the esprit de corps, the the spirit, the companionship. And what makes you proud to be a WGU alum? The community, the the accomplishment of starting something incredibly difficult and achieving it.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much for your time. Continued success to you, and you're such a great representative of the university. And uh again, it's great to connect with you again.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you, Jeff. It's been it's been a blast.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. All right, thank you. And for our viewers to learn all about the WGU alumni offerings, visit wgu.edu slash alumni. Thank you for joining us today. Thanks to Tim. And uh we hope to see you again very, very soon. Thanks, everybody.