Federal Chief Information Officer

Federal Chief Information Officer
Name	Federal Chief Information Officer
Office	Federal Chief Information Officer
Appointer	President of the United States
Formation	2002
Inaugural	John Koskinen

Contents

Federal Chief Information Officer The Federal Chief Information Officer is a senior executive role within the Executive Office of the President of the United States, charged with coordinating information technology policy across federal agencies, advising the President of the United States, and aligning IT investments with federal priorities such as cybersecurity and digital services. The office interacts with entities including the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Holders of the position collaborate with technology leaders from corporations like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and IBM as well as standards bodies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Role and Responsibilities

The Federal Chief Information Officer oversees federal IT strategy, managing initiatives that span the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Health and Human Services while coordinating with agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Responsibilities include promoting governmentwide policies tied to the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 through agencies like the Federal Communications Commission and interacting with oversight institutions like the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service. The office also leads efforts on cloud migration with partners such as Google Cloud, drives open data policies linked to the Data.gov platform and the Office of Personnel Management, and promotes digital service models associated with the United States Digital Service and the 18F team within the General Services Administration.

The position traces roots to legislative reforms such as the E-Government Act of 2002 and post-crisis reforms following events involving agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The creation of the role followed recommendations from bodies including the Commission on Federal Paperwork and the Clinton Administration's technology initiatives that engaged firms like Sun Microsystems and Oracle Corporation. Over time the office responded to incidents that involved the Office of Personnel Management and influenced legislation debated in the United States Congress and reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Federal Chief Information Officer is appointed by the President of the United States and typically confirmed through processes involving the White House and scrutiny by committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs or the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Tenure varies, with occupants drawn from backgrounds at institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, or from corporations including Microsoft, Amazon, and Cisco Systems. Their authority interacts with federal statutes such as the Clinger–Cohen Act and oversight by entities like the Office of Management and Budget and the Government Accountability Office.

The Office of the Federal CIO is situated within the Office of Management and Budget and liaises with components such as the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the Federal Acquisition Regulation councils, and maintains ties to the General Services Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The office supervises staff and advisory bodies that include technologists with experience at Google, Amazon, IBM, and academic partners like Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. It coordinates interagency working groups that engage the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on technical standards and enterprise architecture.

Key initiatives include cloud-first and cloud-smart policies that worked with providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform; cybersecurity frameworks tied to the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and open data and digital service programs connected to Data.gov and the United States Digital Service. Policy efforts have intersected with legislation like the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 and interagency guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council. The office has driven modernization programs with partners including 18F, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Internal Revenue Service.

The Federal CIO influences federal IT budgeting through the Office of Management and Budget's budget review process, shaping agency IT portfolio decisions for entities like the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration. Procurement reforms involve collaboration with the General Services Administration, the Federal Acquisition Service, and policy vehicles such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Technology management emphasizes enterprise architecture standards, interoperability with systems like Defense Information Systems Agency platforms, and contracting strategies engaging firms such as Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Leidos Holdings.

Criticism of the office has come from oversight organizations like the Government Accountability Office, congressional panels including the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and watchdog groups examining outcomes at agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Personnel Management. Challenges include aligning legacy systems across the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, ensuring cybersecurity in coordination with the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and managing procurement complexities involving large contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Political transitions and statutory limits tied to acts like the Clinger–Cohen Act and budgetary constraints overseen by the Congressional Budget Office further complicate sustained reform.

Category:United States federal executive branch