Chris Smith will resign from his position as chief information officer at the Agriculture Department next month for an executive role at technology consulting firm Accenture Federal Services, the company announced Tuesday. Smith will begin his new role as the company’s chief technology and innovation officer on April 9, according to Accenture. He will be responsible for developing the technology agenda for Accenture’s federal business and managing the company’s federal service offerings in the areas of cloud computing, big data, logistics and supply chain and cost reduction. Smith has served as Agriculture’s CIO since 2009. Under his leadership the department migrated…
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Federal Times is meeting with federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel on Wednesday to discuss information technology trends and initiatives. As a reader, what would you ask the federal CIO? You can reply directly or send responses to njohnson@federaltimes.com.
The Justice Department has named Eric Olson its acting chief information officer, following the departure of former CIO Vance Hitch last month. Olson, who served as the department’s deputy CIO, assumed his new role on Aug. 1. He inherits a $2.1 billion information technology budget, oversight of IT management and acquisition and integration of information resources. Hitch left his CIO post on July 31 after serving for more than nine years.
Agencies have a year to follow through on a White House memo requiring their chief information officers to receive greater authority. By August 2012, agencies will report through the President’s Management Council and the CIO Council on their progress in expanding the CIO’s role in four areas: • Commodity IT purchases, such as data centers, desktops, email and business systems. • Management of large IT projects and programs. • Information security programs. “As the IT Reform plan continues to be implemented we will see more results from this fundamental shift in IT policy, permanently removing the barriers that have prevented…
Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence has officially taken the reigns as Army’s chief information officer. In her new role, Lawrence oversees Army’s $10 billion information technology budget and supports network operations, information management and other IT functions. “Right now, the network is the Army’s number one modernization effort,” Lawrence said in an online announcement. “We want a network that can provide Soldiers and civilians information of all categories and forms, as well as a means to collaborate in real-time, at the exact moment required, in any environment, under all circumstances.”
Former CIA chief information officer Al Tarasiuk is President Barack Obama’s top choice for CIO of the Intelligence Community. Tarasiuk served as the CIO of CIA from 2005 to 2010. Before that, he was director of the CIA’s Information Service Center. “Al is well known for his leadership in information sharing and intelligence integration, and his experience, distinguished career and dedication to duty will greatly benefit the entire Intelligence Community,” National Intelligence Director James Clapper said in a news release.
One unknown at the Pentagon has finally been answered. Teri Takai, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the Defense Department’s chief information officer, will finally assume her new role on Nov. 7, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Tuesday. “The new CIO position will be central to these efforts as the DoD continues to transform its IT capabilities to meet the enormous mission critical needs of the U.S. military,” according to a DoD news release There was some uncertainty about Takai filling the position after her nomination hearing, set for Aug. 3, was canceled. Under Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ cost-saving plan, it’s unclear whether the…