Drew Myklegard Steps in as Acting Deputy Federal CIO

The Office of Management and Budget recently appointed Drew Myklegard, former executive director of Product Engineering at the Department of Veterans Affairs, as acting deputy federal CIO.

Myklegard joined the agency in January as associate deputy federal CIO. Maria Roat, OMB’s former deputy federal CIO, retired from her more than 40-year government tenure in March 2022.

“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.”

Upon her departure, Myklegard will work directly with Federal CIO Clare Martorana to help the office support execution of the President’s Management Agenda, the executive orders on cybersecurity and customer experience, and IT modernization and data initiatives across federal government.

“I’ve asked Drew Myklegard to step into the role of acting deputy federal CIO while the search is underway for our next deputy,” Martorana told GovCIO Media & Research. “In just a few months with our team, Drew has already made an outsized impact in executing on OFCIO’s strategic priorities. He understands that in a 21st-century operating environment, if the technology doesn’t work, then the policy doesn’t work.”

During his eight-year tenure at VA, Myklegard was responsible for three vertical portfolios, including software engineering, data and analytics and veteran experience, as well as a team of over 1,800 total employees and contractors.

He led the agency’s DevSecOps Product Engineering Division, responsible for directing and managing the intake and analysis of new and evolving VA business partner technical requirements and aligning them with best commercial and in-house solutions as appropriate. He also managed VA OIT’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) strategy and helped lead the agency’s digital transformation efforts.

“Drew Myklegard bring[s] a breadth and depth of knowledge and extraordinary talent to our team … in deploying modern technology that’s secure by design and delivers more seamless processes for the federal workforce so they can better serve the American people,” Martorana told GovCIO Media & Research earlier this year.