The newly appointed federal chief technology officer has not yet been confirmed by the Senate, but Aneesh Chopra plans to issue recommendations on an open government directive by May 21, a White House official said.
The administration, via a blog and possibly through other new media conduits, plans to invite the public to comment on the memo as early as next week.
A presidential memo issued on Jan. 21, the day after Barack Obama's inauguration, set a deadline of May 21 for suggestions from the CTO on how to create a more transparent, collaborative and participatory government. The Obama administration then plans to issue a directive to all agencies based on the recommendations, according to the memo.
Chopra will honor the president's request with some form of a proposal, but it will not be the final product many open government activists were expecting, said the White House official, who asked not to be identified because the person is not authorized to talk publicly about the issue.
One hang-up has been Chopra's murky official status. On April 18 he was named an assistant to President Obama and appointed associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and his Senate confirmation is still pending. The administration also has yet to seek public comment on the memo, an omission that some transparency advocates argue weakens the open government initiative.
"People are going to be pretty upset if it's coming out in dribs and drabs, understanding that they're understaffed, but that's also an indication of the commitment of the White House," said Patrice McDermott, director of Openthegovernment.org, a coalition of journalists, advocacy groups and unions focused on strengthening public trust in government.
The White House has not announced a deadline for the directive.
By ALIYA STERNSTEIN, Nextgov
A lawmaker who backed the recent selection of Aneesh Chopra for White House chief technology officer continues to push his bill to make the position permanent, more powerful and more expansive, because the job's responsibilities are not what President Obama had first described.
Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., is still backing a bill (H.R. 1910) he introduced on April 2, because the job the president granted Chopra -- coordinating national strategies to spur innovation throughout the economy -- is not the role outlined during the transition. At that time, Obama said the responsibilities would be "to ensure the safety of our networks and lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices."
The CTO -- the first-ever in government -- will focus more on leveraging technology to drive public and private innovation rather than using technology to transform government operations. Vivek Kundra, Obama's chief information officer, who resides in the Office of Management and Budget, will play that role by overseeing government-wide information technology. Obama made the CTO an assistant to the president, with direct access to him, and an associate director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, reporting to OSTP Director John Holdren.
In contrast, the Connolly proposal would station an official in the Executive Office of the President to supervise both technology government-wide and national technology strategies.
Connolly said his bill would ensure that the CTO is the supreme technology leader in the White House, responsible for advancing intergovernmental and nationwide technology. Under the measure, the CTO's duties would include assessing federal IT policies, analyzing trends inIT, developing IT to assist human resource management, evaluating the effect of systems on privacy and security, and advising the president on the federal IT budget.
"What I'm trying to do here is essentially provide a statutory framework for what President Obama has done by executive order," said Connolly, referring to a February order that established the position of assistant to the president and chief technology officer. "It is a logical extension of what he has done. It guarantees that the CTO is the spokesman for technology in the federal government and the White House itself -- and the advocate for it."
By ALIYA STERNSTEIN, Nextgov
The appointment of Aneesh Chopra as the government's first chief technology officer signals that the administration is serious about updating the nation's technology infrastructure, said former federal officials, industry leaders and open government advocates.
As CTO, Chopra will be an assistant to President Obama, with direct access to him. Chopra also will serve as associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, if confirmed by the Senate for that position, administration officials said on Monday.
Until Obama tapped Chopra on April 18, the technology industry feared the president had reneged on the White House-level position he had promised during the transition. Months went by without an appointment, the administration announced the CTO would work within OSTP, and reports surfaced that heavy hitters such as Google Inc.'s CEO Eric Schmidt had turned down the job.
But with the president's ear -- Chopra, a well-respected technology secretary for the commonwealth of Virginia -- will carry the backing of the White House when conferring with agency officials. The administration's tech team also includes Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, Washington's former chief technology officer; New Media Director Macon Phillips, who helped manage Obama's online presidential campaign; and Citizen Participation Director Katie Stanton, a veteran of Google.
White House officials described the CTO and CIO positions as complementary. The CTO role involves contemplating how advanced technologies can improve the economy and quality of life, said Rick Weiss, senior science and technology policy analyst at OSTP. Examples include examining how technology can foster private sector innovation, reduce health care costs and transform teaching. Kundra will be more focused on intergovernmental uses of technologies to improve federal operations and public outreach.
By ALIYA STERNSTEIN, Nextgov
Aneesh Chopra, the nation's first-ever chief technology officer, would serve as both "assistant to the president" and "associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy" if confirmed by the Senate, White House officials said on Monday.
As assistant to President Obama, he would have direct access to the president, said Rick Weiss, senior science and technology policy analyst at OSTP. Within OSTP, he also would report to OSTP Director John Holdren.
The CTO job was initially touted as a White House-level position, but the technology industry feared the post had been downgraded after months went by without an appointment. When the administration announced the CTO would work at OSTP, open government advocates and industry expressed even more doubts about the job's heft.
But with the president's ear, Chopra, the current technology secretary for the state of Virginia, will automatically carry the backing of the White House when conferring with agency officials.
The CTO slot entails thinking through uses of advanced technologies that can improve the economy and quality of life, Weiss said. Examples include examining how technology can foster private sector innovation, reduce health care costs and transform teaching. White House officials described the CTO position and the role of Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra as complementary. Kundra is more focused on intergovernmental uses of technologies to improve federal operations and public outreach.
The OSTP appointment requires confirmation by the full Senate, but the assistant to the president appointment takes effect immediately, officials said.
Chopra's start date has not yet been determined, as he is tying up loose ends in the Virginia government.
By ALLAN HOLMES, Nextgov
Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra, President Obama's choice for the long-promised chief technology officer post, is intimately familiar with the role the CTO will play. He was a member of Obama's transition team, which helped craft the priorities for the CTO. He will have a stake in overseeing the $19 billion in the stimulus package aimed at encouraging the creation of electronic health records.
In an interview with Nextgov, Chopra said the health records initiative faces the biggest opposition from physicians. Estimates put the percentage of physicians who use electronic health records in their practices between 4 percent and 17 percent.
"Adoption is the major barrier," Chopra said. "My general view is the [stimulus package] will encourage physicians to move to the tipping point of saying, 'Maybe I will take the plunge.' But there is still risk the physician has to take.
"My guess is that President Obama views this money as a down payment, the initial component of an overall health reform goal that will include reform of our health payment system in general to pay for outcomes and quality. The secret will be watching closely Obama's health reform goals to see if quality is tied to payments. I have strong confidence in the discussion taking place."
During his run for president, Obama released a government reform agenda in September 2008 that outlined what the CTO would do, including meeting with agencies to make sure they were using the best technologies and best practices. "Like he has in the campaign, Obama will employ innovative technologies, including blogs, wikis, social networking tools and other new strategies, to modernize internal, cross-agency, and public communication and information sharing," according to the plan.
Sources said Chopra was interested in the CTO position within the Health and Human Services Department, where he could focus on IT as it pertained to health care, such as creating a national network of electronic health records. In the interview with Nextgov, he said health IT was "a labor of love" and that he spent his career in state government advancing the cause of using IT to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Chopra is a former managing director with the health care think tank The Advisory Board Co.
Nextgov has more on this story.
By KELLIE LUNNEY, Government Executive
President Obama on Saturday named a Washington-area entrepreneur and management consultant as the government's first chief performance officer.
Jeffrey Zients also will serve as deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, Obama said during his April 18 radio address. A multimillionaire who made his money as a management consultant, Zients currently runs Portfolio Logic, a firm that invests in business services and health care companies.
"Jeffrey will work to streamline processes, cut costs, and find best practices throughout our government," Obama said.
The president focused his address on government efficiency and accountability. He said he will ask department heads during their first full Cabinet meeting next week for specific proposals on cutting their budgets.
"Already, members of my Cabinet have begun to trim back unnecessary expenditures," Obama said, citing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Defense Secretary Robert Gates as examples.
Obama said that he plans to announce in the coming weeks the "elimination of dozens of government programs shown to be wasteful or ineffective," adding that there will be "no sacred cows, and no pet projects."
The president also announced that Aneesh Chopra, Virginia's technology secretary, will serve as the government's chief technology officer and work closely with Vivek Kundra, the chief information officer.
Zients replaces Nancy Killefer as Obama's pick for the top federal management position. Killefer withdrew in February to avoid controversy over issues related to her personal income taxes.
Zients served as chief executive officer and chairman of the Washington-based Advisory Board Company -- where Chopra has also worked -- and as head of the Corporate Executive Board. The firms provide best practices and customized market research on health care and financial management. Zients also launched an unsuccessful bid with other Washington-area investors in 2005 to buy the Washington Nationals baseball team.
By ANDREW NOYES, CongressDaily
President Obama on Saturday announced the selection of Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra to serve as the nation's first chief technology officer, making good on a campaign promise to create the post that enthused Silicon Valley and high-tech policy watchers in Washington.
Chopra "will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities -- from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," Obama said in his weekly radio address.
He will work closely with Obama's chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, who is responsible for setting technology policy across the government, and using technology to improve security, ensure transparency and lower costs.
Kundra was appointed CIO and administrator for e-government at OMB last month. The pair worked together before when Kundra served as Virginia's assistant secretary of commerce and technology.
Before joining Gov. Tim Kaine's cabinet, Chopra was a managing director at the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank.
