US names new Federal CIO

Steven VanRoekel, former Managing Director at the Federal Communications Commission and former Microsoft executive, has been named to succeed Vivek Kundra as the new Federal Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining the Obama administration in 2009, VanRoekel was an executive in the Windows Server and Tools division at Microsoft Corporation. During his 15-year stay in the company, he managed Microsoft’s cross-industry Web Services efforts and also worked as the speech and strategy assistant to Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates. In an official statement,VanRoekel said he plans to move ahead with the work Vivek Kundra began. “We’re trying to make sure that the pace of innovation in the private sector can be applied to the model that is government,” VanRoekel said. Kundra led the effort to overhaul the government’s approach to technology. During his term for more than two years, government agencies have moved to adopt new technologies to improve efficiency in their operations and the effective streamline of public services.
Under his watch, the U.S. government was able to cut down on wasteful spending and saved US $3 billion in taxpayer’s money, moved the government to the cloud, and strengthened the cybersecurity posture of the nation while making it more open, transparent, and participatory.
After serving as the Federal CIO, Kundra will be going to Harvard to take a joint appointment at the Kennedy School of Government and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the law school.

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