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Mar 10 2021
Management

Biden’s Pick for Federal CIO, Clare Martorana, Has a Lot on Her Plate

Martorana comes into her role amid cybersecurity breaches and a continued push for IT modernization.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday named Clare Martorana as the next federal CIO, filling out the government’s IT leadership at a critical time in government technology. 

Martorana served for more than two years as the CIO of the Office of Personnel Management. She also previously served as a digital services expert at the U.S. Digital Service and focused on digital modernization at the Department of Veterans Affairs. OPM Principal Deputy CIO Guy Cavallo will serve as acting CIO at the agency.

Former Federal CIO Suzette Kent praised Martorana’s appointment. “Clare knows firsthand how the various components of technology capability work,” she told Federal News Network. “Her experiences will help shape the next chapter of modernization.”

Martorana will have a lot on her plate as she assumes responsibility for directing and managing the federal government’s vast IT operations, on which agencies spend roughly $90 billion per year. Some of the key issues she will face include:

Martorana certainly will not be short of major issues to manage, but she has the backing of the federal IT community. “Clare is an exceptionally well-qualified leader who has already improved countless lives through innovative technologies and human-centered design,” an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson tells Nextgov. “Together with Deputy U.S. CIO Maria Roat, a dedicated and talented career civil servant, Clare will lead an ambitious governmentwide effort to modernize and strengthen federal information technology systems in order to bolster cyber defenses, drive value in IT investments, and better deliver government services for all Americans at a time when they expect and need them the most.”

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