Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat will retire from her position at the end of March after working in government for more than 40 years.
“I am honored and humbled to have served as the deputy federal CIO, and many years in service to the American public,” Roat told GovCIO Media & Research. “I am privileged and incredibly fortunate to have worked with and met so many smart, talented people throughout my military and federal career. I will especially miss the camaraderie of the CIO Council and technology professionals across the federal government.”
Before serving as deputy federal CIO, Roat briefly served as acting federal CIO and CISO after transitioning in May 2020 from the Small Business Administration as its CIO — a position she held for about four years. Prior to that, she served as CTO at the Department of Transportation.
Roat began her government career in the U.S. Naval Reserve and Navy, where she earned the rank of master chief petty officer and position of command master chief.
After departing a nearly 26-year career in the Navy, she spent 10 years at the Department of Homeland Security in various positions, including deputy CIO and FedRAMP director.
Across her time in federal IT, Roat has been involved in a variety of key activities, such as leading the development of the Federal Data Strategy and serving on the Technology Modernization Fund board.
“Maria Roat has had a remarkable career serving our country — first as a military service member, and then as a federal IT leader,” Federal CIO Clare Martorana said in a statement. “The role of the deputy federal CIO is crucial in providing a cross-government view of agency challenges and identifying opportunities to scale secure technology and sound data-management practices across government. We are grateful for Maria’s many contributions to our team, and we’re excited to see where her journey takes her next.”
Federal News Network first reported Roat’s upcoming retirement.
