Kundra's Ignominious Introduction

I was encouraged by comments newly appointed Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Vivek Kundra made in a 12 March address at the FOSE trade show in Washington, D.C.  I only hope he has the mandate and wherewithal to execute the plans he has laid out since his 5 March appointment.

An interesting aside is that I was able to follow Kundra’s speech on Twitter as attendees (@cheeky_geeky, @acarvin, @Shawn_McCarthy and others) live-tweeted his remarks.

Kundra comes to the Federal CIO position from the D.C. Chief Technology Officer position.  By all accounts, at least from a sampling of tweets and blog postings, Kundra is a good selection for the federal CIO position.  His “street credibility” is descent; having championed the use of technology for increasing government transparency, engagement of citizens and lowering the cost of operations.

Not surprisingly, since his appointment, Kundra has said the above three technology issues, along with a fourth, fostering innovation, will constitute the four pillars of his technology agenda.

During the address to FOSE, Kundra expanded on these four priorities.  Some of the highlights from his address are below:

“The government can and has led,” he said, citing examples such as the creation of the Internet and the Human Genome Project. “We have to embrace a new self-image. … We can be thought leaders, especially in these trying economic times.”

“Technology enables the processes of government but we have to make sure that the processes are focused on the citizens.”

“Some of the smartest people I know are federal employees,” he said.  But too many of them have been told to not take risks and to not act on their ideas. They need to be “liberated,” he said.

Truth be told, my day job is not specifically technology related, I’m just a dumb Marine.  However, I believe technology needs to be embraced by the government at all levels.  I’m interested in the way forward because I believe if the government does not embrace technology, and we keep putting up walls and making excuses for using new technology, we will atrophy to a point of no return.  We have to stop making excuses and start using the collective knowledge of the smart people in the government to find solutions for implementing technology tools.

Having said all of the above, it’s ironic that as Kundra was speaking the FBI was raiding his office.  Reports suggest that he was not the target of the raid, but...  Other reports have suggested that Kundra has taken leave as a result of the raid.  An ignominious beginning for a much anticipated appointment…