"The Agriculture Department has installed an employee brought on from the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, Sam Berry, to oversee the department's technology. Berry will replace the department's longtime chief information officer, Gary Washington, who is now helming a newly created role as USDA's chief innovation officer, according to an internal email sent to staff Friday and obtained by Nextgov/FCW. Washington also served as the acting head of the department at the start of the Trump administration."
"The email announcing the change touted Berry's "strong track record of driving digital transformation and technology excellence," although not much is known about his background by the employees he'll be overseeing, said one IT employee at USDA who asked to remain anonymous as they're not authorized to speak to the press. Berry has 15 years of software experience in the private sector, primarily in the startup space, including founding a hospitality-focused software firm, according to an event agenda from a USDA symposium last month."
Sam Berry, a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, now oversees USDA technology and replaces longtime CIO Gary Washington, who became USDA chief innovation officer. Berry served at USDA full-time through DOGE as a special advisor since at least early April and was sworn in as senior advisor on government efficiency in May. The administration asked agencies to make it easier to install political appointees in CIO roles soon after the inauguration, and other DOGE associates have assumed CIO positions. Berry has 15 years of private-sector software experience, primarily in startups, including founding a hospitality-focused software firm. DOGE access to USDA systems has generated controversy.
Read at Nextgov.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]