First National Chief Technology Officer Brings Innovation to the Administration

 By Teresa Carlson, Microsoft Vice President of U.S. Federal Government Sales

Today is a momentous day.  We’re joining the Federal community in celebrating the weekend’s appointment of the nation’s first ever Chief Technology Officer.  Some wondered if it would ever happen given the speculation over the past months.  But today, we welcome Aneesh Chopra into the fold. 

I believe Chopra’s past experience as secretary of technology for the state of Virginia will position him well for this role.  He leveraged technology to promote Virginia’s innovation agenda and to foster technology-related economic development. He has the experience needed for this new federal role where he will be promoting technical innovation and helping the government achieve its most urgent priorities. 

Our VP of U.S. Public Sector, Curt Kolcun speaks for those of us at Microsoft in his endorsement of Aneesh, when he says:  

“During his tenure as CTO of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Aneesh has consistently shown how the power of technology can strengthen the bonds between state government and its citizens.  His experience cuts across government and education – from his leadership on government information-sharing, to citizenship efforts, to wiring Virginia schools and helping train its workforce.  For a national CTO role, that is the type of vision and action the country needs. We look forward to working with Aneesh in his new role as he takes many of these best practices to the next level.”

As Curt pointed out to me,  Aneesh is growing quite a following on Facebook.

Not only are we fans, but we look forward to continuing our work with him, as he offers new direction and fresh vision to the benefit of the federal, state and local government communities.