Missouri DSS CIO Toi Wilde on the Public Rollout of Digital

There are probably very few Chief Information Officers who began their professional journeys in scrubs. While Toi Wilde’s route to the role of Chief Information Officer at the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) seems unconventional on paper, she is applying her clinical experience to massive digital challenges with exceptional effect.

With a bachelor's degree in science and nursing from the University of Missouri – “Go Mizzou!” – Toi initially dedicated her career to frontline patient care. She later obtained an MBA focused on healthcare administration, a step that further refined her systemic understanding of operational workflows. Throughout her clinical career, Toi found herself naturally gravitating toward the rapidly expanding digital landscape.

“When I was working as a brand-new nurse –– our hospital was transitioning from paper to electronic health records (EHR). And since I was one of the new ones on the floor they basically said, ‘Okay, we're going to pull you part-time to be a subject matter expert and make sure that we're ready and our floor is ready to implement this EHR, my love for technology began.”

Toi’s next role remained clinical but again focused on navigating the challenging transition from paper-based legacy structures to sophisticated digital workflows and further span into the realm of healthcare interoperability.