Most federal information technology executives are not involved in their department’s succession planning activities, according to a new workforce study. The 25 IT executives included in the ACT-IAC (American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council) study said their agency’s succession planning program and human capital resource management strategy were either partially developed or poorly developed or non-existent. Seventy percent said they were not included in succession planning discussions. None of the 16 human capital executives surveyed had metrics that measured whether their agency’s succession, skills and management needs were being met. “The human capital practitioners felt as though they are…
Browsing: chief information officer
The Social Security Administration did not fully assess the impact of a major internal overhaul last June, which eliminated the chief information office and reassigned its functions, according to testimony from a Government Accountability Office official. At the time, most of the responsibilities for managing information technology and the IT budget were reassigned to SSA’s Office of Systems. Two months later, then CIO Frank Baitman resigned. Kelly Croft, deputy commissioner for systems, assumed the CIO duties and oversight of those IT workers. SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue said the effort would increase efficiency, but SSA did not develop a management plan…
Industry and government information technology executives want more from their new employees. Chief information officers are looking for workers with business skills and an understanding of cloud computing, social media, analytics and other emerging technology, according to research conducted by market intelligence firm International Data Corp. CIOs are concerned about a lack of IT talent to manage their next generation systems, said David McNally, an IT executive adviser at IDC. The data was extracted from IDC’s CIO Agenda Survey conducted last month and presented during a webinar on Tuesday. Of the 63 CIOs surveyed, 43 percent said new IT workers will…
Inadequate budgets, conflicting priorities among program units and little time for strategic planning are among the top barriers to federal chief information officers increasing their effectiveness, according to a TechAmerica survey released Wednesday. The annual survey, conducted by Grant Thornton, includes interview responses from 46 CIOs and their deputies, congressional staff and other government officials. CIOs at the General Services Administration, Social Security Administration and the Veteran Affairs Department were among the participants. In the face of shrinking budgets, lowering costs, integrating systems and processes and addressing security and privacy concerns ranked as CIOs’ top budget priorities. One CIO recommended…
The Government Printing Office has named Charles Riddle its new chief information officer. Riddle, former chief technology officer at the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety Inspection Service, said he looks forward to ensuring GPO provides Congress, agencies and the public with the latest technological tools. As CIO, he will oversee IT policies and standards and develop operating budgets for network systems. GPO’s former CIO, Mike Wash, now oversees IT operations at the National Archives and Records Administration and was credited with launching the Federal Digital System, according to article that ran in the Washington Post. The system allows GPO to receive…
There were mixed feelings last month when the federal chief information officer proposed giving federal workers a $2,000 subsidy to buy their own laptops and smartphones. Some balked at the idea and raised concerns that security would be at stake. But federal CIO Vivek Kundra’s proposal isn’t exactly far-fetched. When NASA asked several of its chief technology officers where NASA technology is headed over the next five years, mobile computing took center stage. James McClellan, CTO at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said “I don’t think it’s much of a leap to say that 5 years from now the average NASA employee will be using a mobile computing platform…
Federal executives from across government are reaching out to younger feds through an online video project launched this week by Fedscoop. Chief information and technology officers from the Veteran Affairs, Justice and Agriculture departments are among the IT executives who will appear weekly on fedscoop.com/fedmentors in a series of one to two-minute videos. In the video interviews, executives offer career advice, insight about their first government jobs and updates on their current work. This week’s featured mentor is Dave McClure, associate administrator for the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services & Innovative Technologies. McClure said among his office’s top priorities are expanding…
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…
Update 2: The Associated Press is reporting that Federal CIO Vivek Kundra is on leave “until further details of the case become known” following the raid of his former office this morning. While the raid was going on Kundra spoke at an IT conference today. He set out bold plans for reforming federal IT by opening up more information to the public for review and feedback. During today’s White House press briefing, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs declined to comment on the investigation into Kundra’s old office. Stay tuned. Update 1: The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia released some court documents…
After weeks of speculation, it’s official. The White House announced today that Vivek Kundra will be the government’s chief information officer. Kundra has served as the chief technology officer for Washington, D.C. since 2007. In his new role, he will direct governmentwide information technology investments, policy and spending oversight. When a governmentwide chief technology officer is named, they will work together to advance the president’s technology agenda. We’ll have more for you following a news conference with Kundra later today.