Defense Dept. CIO Teri Takai Resigns

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Teri Takai will be leaving her post as the Defense Department's chief information officer next month.

Takai submitted her resignation to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, effective May 3, a DoD spokesperson confirmed Monday. A replacement hasn't yet been named.

Takai has served as the DoD's CIO since November 2010. While in that position, she was the principal advisor to Secretary Hagel for information management, information technology, and information assurance. She also oversaw non-intelligence space systems, critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs, as well as spectrum and telecommunications.

Most recently, Takai was credited with replacing the DoD's longstanding information assurance process with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's holistic "built-in, not bolt-on," risk-focused security approach.

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Takai was recognized as one of InformationWeek's most influential government CIOs in 2013 for her efforts to launch several IT initiatives that cut across the military branches.

Prior to joining the DoD, Takai was the CIO for the State of California. She was responsible for advising California's governor on the strategic management and direction of information technology during the state's modernization project. Some of her accomplishments include forming a Project Management and Policy Office, coming up with a strategic IT plan for the state, and passing the governor's IT reorganization proposal.

While serving as California's CIO, Takai also managed more than 130 CIOs and 10,000 IT employees across the state's agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and offices.

Takai's resignation follows another executive's departure from the Defense Department. On March 28, principal deputy chief information officer Rob Carey left for the private sector. He had served in government for more than 30 years.

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