Skip to Main Content Subscribe

Federal CIO Tracker: Latest Appointments

Share

Stay up to date on federal CIO and IT leadership changes, including appointments, departures and leadership transitions.

6m read
Photo Credit: Photon photo/Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump’s first year back in office has been marked by an aggressive push to modernize federal technology, expand the use of AI across government, strengthen cybersecurity and streamline IT operations through executive actions and agency directives. As these initiatives move from policy to implementation, federal CIOs will play a central role in deploying AI responsibly, modernizing legacy systems, securing federal networks and ensuring agencies meet new digital transformation priorities.

Here’s a look at the CIO leaders at top federal agencies:

Office of Management and Budget CIO: Gregory Barbaccia 

Gregory Barbaccia became federal CIO at the Office of Management and Budget in January 2025, soon after Trump’s inauguration. He replaced Clare Martorana, who stepped down during the transition. Barbaccia, according to LinkedIn, is a former Army intelligence sergeant with years of experience in the private sector, including at Palantir and Elementus. In February, he was also appointed acting director for Technology Transformation Services (TTS) and senior advisor to the administrator at General Services Administration, in addition to his CIO role at OMB. 

According to recent reports, Barbaccia will leave the position at the end of August and his deputy, former Department of Education CIO Thomas Flagg, will serve as acting CIO. Previously Flagg worked at the Department of Labor’s Directorate of Business Application Services.

General Services Administration CIO: David Shive 

David Shive joined the General Services Administration’s Office of the Chief Information Officer in 2012 and became CIO of the agency in 2015. Shive manages the agency’s $600 million information technology budget. Prior to joining GSA, he served as the District of Columbia’s CIO. 

War Department CIO: Kirsten Davies 

The Senate confirmed Kirsten Davies as the Pentagon’s new CIO by a 53–43 vote on Dec. 18, 2025, filling a key leadership role as the War Department accelerates its digital modernization agenda. During her confirmation process, Davies told lawmakers that she would work to overhaul the Pentagon’s aging IT infrastructure.  

Education Department Acting CIO: Ray Crawford

The Education Department’s deputy CIO Ray Crawford is now serving at the acting CIO, according to his LinkedIn profile. Crawford moved into the role after the previous CIO, Flagg, was tapped for the deputy OMB CIO position earlier this year. Crawford has been with the Education Department for 20 years and previously served as the performance improvement officer and chief executive for strategic planning and reporting. The education department CIO advises the secretary on acquiring IT and managing information resources.

Department of Housing and Urban Development CIO: Eric Sidle 

Eric Sidle was appointed Housing and Urban Development’s CIO in May 2025. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology and innovation. Before taking on the CIO role, Sidle served as the technology advisor, operating partner and coach at Fabrum Advisors, LLC. Sidle was previously the senior vice president of Engineering and CTO at ChargePoint. 

Commerce Department CIO: Brian Epley 

Brian Epley was named as Commerce CIO in June 2024 after serving at Energy Department as the principal deputy CIO. Before his time at Energy, he spent years in the public and private sectors, including a six-year stint at the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Department of Health and Human Services CIO: Clark Minor 

Clark Minor was appointed CIO in May 2025 after serving as an industry leader at Palantir Technologies for nearly 13 years where he worked on the company’s Gotham platform. As CIO he implements IT operations and oversees cybersecurity and workforce development. 

Department of Homeland Security CIO: Antoine McCord 

Antoine McCord became CIO in March 2025 after Eric Hysen stepped down from the position during the administration transition. McCord is a veteran of the Marine Corps where he specialized in cyber and intelligence operations. He also worked in the Intelligence Community where he led cyber operations and he served as an advisor on national security. 

Energy Department CIO: Dawn Zimmer 

Dawn Zimmer became CIO of the Energy Department in November 2025. She oversees the department’s enterprise IT and cybersecurity strategy, with responsibility for strengthening system security, performance and modernization. In her role, Zimmer helps integrate DOE’s technology transformation efforts with the agency’s mission goals, supporting programs that drive energy innovation and national energy security. 

Justice Department CIO: Shantrell Collier 

The Justice Department announced in late February that Shantrell Collier would serve as the CIO for the Justice Department. She previously served as the deputy CIO at the department. While at DOJ, Collier also served as the agency’s chief of staff to the assistant attorney general of administration. Before returning to DOJ in 2022, Collier held the CIO position for the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations at NOAA. 

Labor Department CIO:  Mangala Kuppa 

Mangala Kuppa serves as the Labor Department’s CIO. In that role she works to develop, maintain and protect data across 27 DOL agencies. The office of the CIO has a dual focus on cybersecurity and customer experience.  

State Department CIO: Kelly Fletcher 

Kelly Fletcher has been the CIO of State since 2022. She came to the diplomacy agency after two years in the Pentagon’s CIO office and positions in the Department of the Navy and DHS, according to LinkedIn. 

Department of Transportation CIO: Pavan Pidugu 

Pavan Pidugu was sworn in as the new Transportation CIO on Feb. 18, 2025. He previously served as the CTO for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency within DOT, where he developed an outcome-oriented digital strategy and roadmap for FMCSA to serve carriers, commercial vehicle drivers and law enforcement agencies to enforce transportation safety. 

Recent reports indicate that Pidugu will leave his post in September. It is unclear who will replace him. Jack Albright serves as the deputy CIO.

Department of Veterans Affairs Acting CIO:  Paul Lawrence 

Paul Lawrence was tapped to serve as the Department of Veterans Affairs’ acting CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology in November 2025. He succeeded Eddie Pool, who served in the position since February 2025, and previously served as the under secretary for benefits during Trump’s first term in office. 

In April, Trump nominated Gary Shatswell, a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, to serve as the department’s permanent CIO. He is the third candidate nominated by the White House for the Senate-confirmed role. Previously, Trump nominated Ryan Cote, who served as the Transportation Department’s CIO during the first Trump administration, but later retracted the nomination. Trump also nominated Alan Boehme, who served as chief technology officer at H&M Group, but his nomination was also withdrawn.

Department of the Air Force CIO: Ashley Devoto 

Ashley Devoto is the CIO for the Department of the Air Force, which comprises both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. In this role, she supports 20,000 cyber operations and support personnel globally with an IT portfolio valued at $17 billion, according to the Air Force. Prior to federal service, she held technology and cyber roles at EY, Bank of America, Booz Allen Hamilton and Discount Tire.

She succeeds Keith Hardiman, who served as the Air Force’s acting CIO and has since returned to the deputy CIO position

Department of the Army Acting CIO: Gabe Chiulli

Gabe Chiulli currently serves as Army’s acting CIO following the retirement of Leonel Garciga in May 2026. Before stepping into the acting CIO role, Chiulli served as CTO of the Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Agency, where he led efforts to deploy AI technologies across the service.

Department of the Interior CIO: Vacant 

Recent reports indicate that Paul McInerny, who has served as the Interior Department’s CIO since May 2025, has left his post and has been removed from the department’s website. McInerny previously worked at SpaceX where he led the software organization during its formative Dragon and Falcon 9 missions. It is unclear who will fill the position, but Rick Kryger and Jim Rolfes are both listed as the department’s deputy CIOs.

Department of the Navy Acting CIO: Barry Tanner 

Barry Tanner serves as acting CIO for the Department of the Navy, which also encompasses the U.S. Marine Corps. He replaced Jane Rathbun who left the position in December 2025, according to LinkedIn. Prior to CIO, Tanner was deputy CIO for the Navy, where he helped oversee a more than $12 billion IT portfolio and ensured technology investments supported mission needs across the fleet and Fleet Marine Force. 

Treasury Department CIO: Sam Corcos 

Sam Corcos serves as the CIO at the Treasury Department. Corcos took over the role earlier this year when the previous CIO, Jeff King, left after serving two months in the position. Corcos is also the co-founder and board member at the health tech company Levels. Earlier this year, he served as a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) associate, where he worked to review operations and maintenance budget and advise on IRS modernization efforts. 

Environmental Protection Agency CIO: Carter Farmer 

Carter Farmer serves as the CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency. Farmer, who stepped into the role after former CIO Vaughn Noga left in May, previously worked more than seven years as the director of IT systems and solutions as well as the systems administration senior manager at the U. S. Institute of Peace. 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation CIO: Zachary Brown

Zachary Brown has served as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation CIO since May. Prior to that role, he was CISO for the FDIC. He replaced Sylvia Burns who served as CIO, chief product officer and IT director of the FDIC since 2020. 

NASA CIO:  Sean Gallagher 

Sean Gallagher is NASA’s CIO in addition to serving as the deputy CIO for operations. In those roles, he oversees the delivery of IT products and services NASA’s end users located in the U.S. and abroad. Previously, Gallagher served as the senior advisor for transformation within the OCIO. 

National Archives and Records Administration Acting CIO: Gulam Shakir 

Gulam Shakir became acting CIO of NARA when Sheena Burrell moved to the FDIC to be deputy CIO and chief innovation officer in December 2025. He previously served as NARA’s CTO for four years. 

National Science Foundation CIO: Clyde Richards 

Clyde Richards assumed the permanent CIO role in June 2025 after serving as the acting CIO for five months. He also serves as the chief technology officer for the foundation. Richards joined the National Science Foundation in 2024 from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission CIO: Scott Flanders 

Scott Flanders was named permanent Nuclear Regulatory Commission CIO in May 2024. In that role he oversees cyber and information security, IT support functions, data management, enterprise governance and artificial intelligence. He has been with the agency since 1991, and most recently served as the deputy CIO. 

Office of Personnel Management acting CIO:  Perryn Ashmore 

Perryn Ashmore serves as the acting CIO for the Office of Personnel Management, according to the U.S. CIO Council, though his personal LinkedIn account names him as the assistant director of enterprise learning at OPM. Greg Hogan, the previous CIO at OPM, left the role in September 2025, after serving less than eight months. 

Office of the Director of National Intelligence CIO: Doug Cossa 

Doug Cossa serves as the CIO for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In this role, Cossa oversees the acquisition and performance of technology programs and directs all Intelligence Community’s information-security policies and practices for national security systems. Cossa previously served as CIO for the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

Small Business Administration CIO: Hartley Caldwell 

The Small Business Administration named Hartley Caldwell as CIO in May 2025, according to the agency’s website. Caldwell comes to the federal government for the first time after a history of working with industry. Before joining SBA, he served as CIO for FinServ, a financial technology company, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Social Security Administration CIOs: Aram Moghaddassi and Michael Russo 

In September 2025, the Social Security Administration announced it would split the CIO role into two positions. Aram Moghaddassi serves as CIO with a focus on technology and customer products. Michael Russo serves as CIO with a focus on core business functions.  

Moghaddassi previously served as a senior engineer at Elon Musk-owned companies X and Neuralink, according to LinkedIn, and also served as a DOGE employee at the Labor Department. 

July 9, 2026 — This article has been updated since initial publication to reflect the latest leadership appointments.

Related Content