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Tag: Chief Technology Officer

  • Google’s Megan Smith Is Your New US Chief Technology Officer

    The new Chief Technology Officer of the United States is a Googler.

    The White House has announced that Megan Smith, vice president at Google X, will be your next CTO. Smith co-founded Google’s Solve for X and as VP of Google X, helped to oversee some of Google’s most ambitious projects. She also served as Google’s VP of Business Development for nine years. Before joining Google, Smith was the CEO of PlanetOut, an LGBT-targeted media company.

    Also announced – a new deputy CTO, Alexander Macgillivray. Macgillivray is a former lawyer for Twitter.

    “Megan has spent her career leading talented teams and taking cutting-edge technology and innovation initiatives from concept to design to deployment. I am confident that in her new role as America’s Chief Technology Officer, she will put her long record of leadership and exceptional skills to work on behalf of the American people. I am grateful for her commitment to serve, and I look forward to working with her and with our new Deputy U.S. CTO, Alexander Macgillivray, in the weeks and months ahead,” said President Obama in a statement, per The Washington Post.

    “As U.S. CTO, Smith will guide the Administration’s information-technology policy and initiatives, continuing the work of her predecessors to accelerate attainment of the benefits of advanced information and communications technologies across every sector of the economy and aspect of human well-being,” said presidential science advisor John Holdren.

    Smith will replace outgoing CTO Todd Park, the second CTO of the United States. Park succeeded the first-ever US CTO Aneesh Chopra in 2012.

    “I thank Todd for his service as my Chief Technology Officer, and look forward to his continuing to help us deploy the best people and ideas from the tech community in service of the American people,” said President Obama of Park’s decision to return to his roots in Silicon Valley.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Obama Names Todd Park As New Chief Technology Officer

    President Obama today named Todd Park as the next U.S. Chief Technology Officer, bumping him up from his current CTO position with the Department of Health and Human Services.

    While CTO at HSS, Park was tasked with bringing the health care industry into the 21st Century era of technology and transparency. One of his notable achievements was the creation of the website HealthCare.gov, which was the first website to offer consumers a “comprehensive inventory of public and private health insurance plans.” The user-friendly website allowed consumers to find and research available health insurance plans specific to their zip code.

    The appointment of Park harks back to the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government that President Obama signed during his first official day in office. The initiative aimed to “bridge the gap between the American people and their government” by pushing agencies to provide the public with access to their copious amounts of data. As a means to get the ball rolling on that initiative, the Obama Administration offered Park the position of CTO at HSS. While his official job title was that of a Chief Technology Officer, the common understanding was that Park would be HSS’s “entrepreneur in residence.” Such a designation propelled Park to arguably become the poster boy for President Obama’s initiative to use technology as a means to empower citizens.

    Park replaces the first CTO, Aneesh Chopra, who stepped down last month after spending three years at the position.

    Park’s profile on HHS’s website hasn’t been updated to reflect his new appointment, nor has Park updated his bio on his Twitter account, @todd_park.

    If you’re not familiar with Todd Park, check out the video below of a talk Park gave at the Gov 2.0 Expo in 2010, “How Open Data Can Improve American’s Health.”

  • Aneesh Chopra, First U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Is Stepping Down

    In 2009, President Obama tapped Virginia’s Secretary of Technology to fill a brand new job – the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer. Aneesh Chopra’s goal was to help bring the Federal government out of the 20th century and into a world filled with new technology.

    And now, Chopra is stepping down. The White House blog has nothing but great things to say about him:

    Aneesh has led that charge in an energetic, innovative, and amazingly effective manner, and sowed the seeds necessary to bring our government into the 21st century.

    Working with Aneesh for nearly three years has been an invigorating experience. Among a dizzying array of accomplishments, Aneesh helped design the President’s National Wireless Initiative, including the development of a nationwide public safety broadband network, establish a set of Internet Policy Principles including the call for a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, and led the implementation of the President’s open government strategy focused on unlocking the innovative potential of the federal government to solve problems and seed the jobs and industries of the future.

    One of his last announcements in office was the “America’s Next Top energy Innovator” challenge, a program designed to find entrepreneurs and visionaries in the field of energy innovations and advanced manufacturing.

    He also recently announced the “Green Button,” an initiative that allows households to download their energy use information so that they can make decisions to save energy and money.

    (image)@aneeshchopra
    Aneesh Chopra    Check out our new blog: “Building an Economy that Lasts – With Energy Innovation and Green Button” http://t.co/ZnmmW1Qv #greenbutton(image) 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Chopra made this statement about leaving to the Washington Post:

    After an incredible three years as the nation’s first chief technology officer, I am returning to my home state of Virginia to continue my work using innovative new technologies and platforms to improve healthcare, education and energy – and to grow the jobs and industries of the future. I want to thank the President for entrusting me with the task of fostering an innovation culture in government, and for his direction, engagement, and leadership on applying technology for the betterment of all Americans.

    Although he says that he’s going back home to focus on innovation, Democratic sources tell the post that Chopra is gearing up to run for the Lieutenant Governorship in Virginia.