Press Releases
02/28/2019
Governor Lamont Selects Sibongile ‘Bongi’ Magubane to Serve as Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is nominating Sibongile “Bongi” Magubane of Hartford to serve as commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. A business executive who has served within Fortune 100 companies, Magubane’s career has focused on delivering large-scale enterprise solutions to business needs.
“For many residents, the DMV is the face of state government – it is an office that virtually every adult needs to interact with and for far too long it has been overly bureaucratic, arduous, and – quite frankly – operating in the 21st century while relying on 20th century processes,” Governor Lamont said. “We need a fresh approach with this agency – one that prioritizes convenience, ease, and reliability for customers, while also delivering efficiency and cost effectiveness for its administrative needs. Bongi has earned a reputation for doing exactly those things for some of our nation’s leading private sector companies. She’s a sharp, solutions-oriented thinker with a strong business acumen who will bring to state government an innovative approach that works to cut red tape and brings to the DMV the solutions that so many residents of our state are demanding.”
“It is an honor to serve the people of Connecticut as commissioner,” Magubane said. “As a lifelong resident of Connecticut, I look forward to restoring confidence in the DMV. We will improve customer service and efficiency by listening to citizens, seeking new solutions, and working closely with all state agencies.”
Magubane currently serves as HR director with Specialty Transportation, a contractor of the Hartford Board of Education that is responsible for providing transportation to the school district’s students. However, she is best known in the business community from her years of service working at Aetna, first from 1979 to 1994, and then again from 2000 to 2011. It was at Aetna that she gained a reputation for technical knowledge and leadership attitude in the area of information technology strategic planning, even helping the company execute its enterprise strategic plan. She most recently served as the company’s head of information technology strategic planning and was responsible for key components of the enterprise management process that enabled the company’s information technology systems to deliver business capabilities, including technology platforms for critical enterprise functions. Her other roles with the company included serving as the head of finance information systems, IT portfolio manager, procurement business manager, and enterprise management systems.
In addition to her service at Aetna, she worked as a consultant for information technology company Keane between 1998 to 2000, and at Cigna from 1994 to 1998, where she was responsible for maintaining and enhancing capabilities across the company’s billing, banking, and eligibility shared service functions.
Magubane earned such a prominent reputation in the business community that The Network Journal, a national publication for minority professionals and business people, named her one of the 25 most influential black women in business.
In addition to her professional work, Magubane volunteers her time in several leadership positions within community groups in Hartford, including as the president of the West End Civic Association/Neighborhood Revitalization Zone; co-chair of Hartford 2000, Inc., a coalition of Hartford’s neighborhood revitalization zones; Elizabeth Park Conservancy Representative for the Hartford Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission; and board member for Hartford Stage.
She earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from UConn.
Magubane will begin serving as the commissioner-designate on April 1, 2019. Her nomination will be sent to the General Assembly for its advice and consent.
Earlier this month, Governor Lamont announced that he was introducing legislation with the goal of cutting down on the number of trips residents need to make to DMV offices and shortening the wait times when they do need to visit. His proposals will extend the period of time between driver’s license renewals from six years to eight years and the time between registration renewals from two years to three years. He is also proposing to make adjustments that will allow residents in certain situations to “skip a trip” to a DMV office by allowing them to renew their licenses remotely. The proposals are included in House Bill 7201, which is currently pending in the Transportation Committee.
**Download: Fact sheet on Governor Lamont’s proposed DMV legislation (House Bill 7201)
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