USDA’s Ted Kaouk Selected as Federal Chief Data Officers Council Chair

June 10, 2020

Washington – Ted Kaouk, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Data Officer, has been selected chair of the federal Chief Data Officers (CDO) Council.

Required by the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act, the CDO Council will develop resources to support CDOs in fulfilling their responsibilities under the Act, identify and evaluate new technology solutions for improving the collection and use of data, and coordinate with other government-wide councils that conduct data-related activities.

“The CDO Council can and should develop processes for capturing high-value shared opportunities and best practices while recognizing organizational differences and challenges,” Ted noted. “We will need to leverage the collective wisdom of everyone on the Council for this foundational work.”

Ted believes deeply that federal CDOs have an opportunity to engage in work that is meaningful and transformative through the steps outlined in the Federal Data Strategy. At USDA, he has seen first-hand the impacts that delivering data and analytics solutions to leaders and field employees have on how the agency serves the public. He knows the unique power government data has to solve major public challenges.

“We are very pleased to have Ted’s leadership for the Chief Data Officers Council,” said Federal Chief Information Officer Suzette Kent. “His cross-agency leadership with recent efforts to share resources across Agencies demonstrated his commitment to the objectives of the CDO Council.”

At USDA, Ted is responsible for developing strategies that enable his agency to fully leverage its data as a strategic asset and improving organizational decision making and outcomes. Ted most recently served as Chief of Staff in the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer, where he provided broad leadership, strategy, communications, and administrative support for a $2 billion information technology portfolio.

Ted graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree, earned a Master’s from the University of Virginia, and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Excellence in Government Fellows Program.

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Learn more about the Federal Data Strategy, 2020 Action Plan, and the role agencies play by visiting strategy.data.gov.

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