50 Most Influential Government CIOs
June 07, 2011 07:00 AM Check out InformationWeek's Government CIO 50, our power list of top government CIOs--ranging from the NSA's technology chief to innovators at the state and city government level. They've got vision, clout, and sometimes, billion-dollar IT budgets. But most of all, these CIOs are known for delivering tangible, measurable results. Here's an inside look at the government technology leaders and their approaches to unique IT leadership challenges.
Adrian Gardner, CIO, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Adrian Gardner has been the top IT executive at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for slightly more than a year, but he's no stranger in federal IT circles. Gardner was formerly CIO for the National Weather Service, and before that he served in senior IT positions with the Department of Energy. That background has helped Gartner get off to a quick start at Goddard, with initiatives in cloud computing, high-performance computing, and government transparency. One of Gardner's most high-profile projects is the deployment of cloud computing in a container--an instance of NASA's Nebula cloud platform, originally developed at Ames Research Center, that's being rolled into Goddard in a shipping container.
Gardner also is focused on risk management for the IT aspects of the space shuttle program and cybersecurity projects like single sign-on, and developing a 1,000-day IT strategic plan. He's involved in OMB's open government initiative, chairing a working group for Data.gov.
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