In the last six months, there have been sweeping changes in top federal IT leaders—a new CTO, a new CIO, and the appointment of a Chief Data Scientist. Some say the White House may be signaling that it’s trying to improve its IT operations by aligning itself more with Silicon Valley thinking. Learn more in this article from cio.com.
Patil was just appointed as the White House’s first “chief data scientist” and “deputy chief technology officer for data policy.” Those two titles suggest immense power and dazzle, both of which Patil will need in spades to help set technology direction across the government’s $80 billion IT budget.
The appointment is part of a pattern by this White House to appoint people with credentials from Silicon Valley’s iconic companies, and then some. The Patil appointment, paired with the arrival of a new CTO and CIO, represents a complete change of top federal IT leaders in just six months.
