Park Appointed Assistant to President, U.S. CTO

Todd Park

Served as CTO of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama appointed Todd Park as Assistant to the President and U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO), filling a vacancy created by last month’s departure of Aneesh Chopra, the Nation’s first CTO. Park has served as CTO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since August 2009, where he has been an agent for change.

Hired as the department’s “entrepreneur-in-residence,” Park has been helping HHS harness the power of data, technology, and innovation to improve the health of all Americans.

The President has asked him to bring that same approach to a broader mission – helping to replicate those and other best practices across government and bring them to scale.

President Obama created the position of U.S. Chief Technology Officer on his first day in office, noting that corporate leaders have long recognized the value of having a person responsible for ensuring that technology is being used as effectively as possible to gain operational efficiencies and ensure internal coordination and communication. 

The U.S. CTO is responsible for ensuring the adoption of innovative technologies to support Administration priorities, including job creation, broader access to affordable health care, enhanced energy efficiency, a more open government, and national and homeland security.

“Todd Park has demonstrated a remarkable talent for enlisting innovative technologies to modernize government, reduce waste, and make government information more accessible to the public,” said President Obama.

“In his new position he will bring those skills to the entire Federal enterprise, ensuring that government will serve all Americans fairly, effectively, and efficiently.”   

In his work at HHS, Park led the successful execution of an array of breakthrough initiatives, including the creation of HealthCare.gov, the first website to provide consumers with a comprehensive inventory of public and private health insurance plans available across the Nation by zip code in a single, easy-to-use tool; the development and launch of the Health Data Initiative, which is making vast amounts of information from the vaults of HHS easily downloadable by the public and third-party apps developers via Health.Data.gov; and HHSinnovates, an awards program that identifies and recognizes innovators across HHS who have improved Department operations. 

In 2010, he was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business for his work as HHS CTO.        

The U.S. CTO’s office is situated within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where Park will work closely with U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Telecommunications Tom Power.

OSTP Director and Presidential science advisor John P. Holdren announced today that Power will perform the duties of OSTP’s Associate Director for Technology—a position previously held by Chopra in conjunction with his role as U.S. CTO—while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement.

Photo courtesy of http://www.hhs.gov/open/discussion/todd_park_bio.html

Aneesh Chopra to Leave White House Post

Aneesh Chopra

Also Served as Chief Technology Officer

WASHINGTON, DC — The White House today announced the departure of Aneesh Chopra, Assistant to the President and the federal government’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

President Obama said, “As the federal government’s first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records. His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come, and I thank him for his outstanding service.”

Photo source:  Office of Science and Technology Policy

Author: US Govt.. Original uploader was Duffy2032 at en.wikipedia

Permission: PD-USGOV

Schiliro, Assistant to the President, to Leave Post

Phil Schiliro

President Obama: "The White House Will Not Be the Same Without Phil"

WASHINGTON, DC— The White House today released statements on the departure of Assistant to the President and Special Advisor Phil Schiliro. Schiliro was announced as Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs on November 15, 2008 and served in that role from the beginning of the Obama administration until January of 2011.

During that time he presided over the passage of a series of critical pieces of legislation including the Recovery Act, the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street reform and New START, as well as the confirmations of two Supreme Court justices. Since then, he has served as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor, providing counsel to the President on a wide array of issues. He will stay on in that role until the end of the year.

“As my advisor and chief liaison to Congress during one of the most productive legislative periods in our history, Phil Schiliro helped shepherd through a series of historic accomplishments on behalf of the American people, from health care reform that will make coverage more affordable and accessible to Wall Street reform that will protect consumers and our economy. The White House will not be the same without Phil, but more importantly, the country would not be the same without his steady leadership and tireless effort over the past three years,” said President Obama.

“Phil Schiliro has been an integral member of the President’s team. Regardless of the issue at hand, Phil’s thoughtful counsel, sound judgment, and unparalleled understanding of and relationships with Congress have made his advice invaluable. His presence will be sorely missed at the White House, but his tremendous contributions to the American people will live on long beyond his departure,” concluded White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley.

Photo source: The White House Photostream, P052609PS-0044 (cropped)
Author: White House photo by Pete Souza
Permission: Public Domain