New OPM CDO Taka Ariga Shares Approach to Human Capital, AI

The Office of Personnel Management has appointed Taka Ariga as its new CDO who will support the agency’s data modernization, enhance human capital services and boost AI talent recruiting efforts.

“The human capital-focused mission at the Office of Personnel Management is a new domain for me and a lot of transformational efforts are already in flight,” said Ariga. “I will necessarily need to adapt in a variety of ways to a different institution, but am confident that my technical experience, professional network and intuition/judgement can contribute to OPM’s data-centricity vision.”

Ariga comes to OPM after serving five years as chief data scientist and director of the Innovation Lab at the Government Accountability Office. While there, Ariga helped to build a start-up organization exploring and adapting use of data science, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Ariga told GovCIO Media & Research about the progress that has been made with the Human Capital Data Management and Modernization Directorate launched at OPM four years ago. He said he can already tell that it is taking a “walk-and-chew-gum” approach. OPM is not embarking on a serial, sequential and unidirectional path on modernization, which tends to elongate the roadmap.

“There is brilliant thinking toward seamless, secure-by-design sharing of human capital data while putting an extraordinary focus on establishing a modern data governance framework for verifiable data quality, reliability and accuracy,” said Ariga. “There are logical (not fantastical) AI use cases in development done with a team sport mantra — as advocated in GAO’s AI Accountability Framework that I led — while proactively rationalizing and integrating matrixed competencies across cloud, cybersecurity, policy and workforce.”

Ariga said one of the biggest challenges with modernization is that technologies like AI are always advancing, and the speed of new capabilities is far outpacing use case development.

“I think the goals of modernization should be data centric, outcome focused and not output focused, and create a strong foundation of basics, but making sure the overall structure is adaptive to changing elements,” said Ariga. “Continually motivate the inquisitive, determined and technically brilliant people through new challenges and visible impacts. Of course, doing all of them within safe, secure and ethical boundaries.”

OPM is also focused on recruiting, hiring and training AI talent. In addition, Ariga said the agency is also supporting other agencies to expand their digital-ready workforce.

“This includes improving hiring experience, clarifying hiring flexibilities and incentives, establishing skill-based assessments, revamping occupational series,” said Ariga. “I see it as a part of my responsibilities not only to attract talent to OPM through impactful mission, but making sure meaningful career paths and flexibilities exist to grow the next generation of digital, data-centered leaders. I also want to make sure I continue to talk with executive and legislative branch entities to share success stories as well as lessons learned.”